The Ex Games
by rocketandroll17
Summary: It was supposed to be one week of celebrating pure, unadulterated love. But Shinomiya should have known better. Seducing your ex-girlfriend is even more complicated when you're both playing bluff. All's fair in love and war, right? Let the games begin. (Part 2 of Two Can Play That Game)
1. Prologue

_Prologue_

"So, you accept? You'll be my best man?" Donato asked, leaning in with wide eyes and a hint of desperation in his voice.

Shinomiya Kojiro let out a heavy sigh and downed his glass of whisky. "Can't you ask someone else?" he replied with exasperation. "I don't think I'm actually fit for the job."

"That's a yes for me then." the blond Italian assumed.

The two friends were standing at the bar, drinks on hand as they waited for the rest of their group to arrive. It had been quite a long time since they've seen each other. This mini-reunion is just one of the many nights he was already expecting to be with his friends. Saying 'no' would never be an option. Even though he didn't feel like it, he was sure that his friends would raid his Tokyo apartment, or worse - Shino's, just to force him to join them.

"Where are they?" he asked, feeling a little impatient. He swiftly signalled the waiter for another refill.

Donato whipped out his phone and scrolled through a few messages. "Well, hmmm…" he hummed as he thought. "Hinako and Mizuhara are on their way. They're sharing a cab. And...Ruth is -"

"Babe!" the high-pitched tone of Ruth's voice was heard from the entrance.

Shinomiya was about to sip on the newly refilled glass of whisky, when he realized that the blonde pastry chef would be joining them. As Donato excused himself to greet his fiancee, Shinomiya's palms started to sweat. He thought it would just be the four of them - Donato, Mizuhara and Hinako...just like old times. But he guessed it couldn't be helped. Donato and Ruth were newly engaged after all, and it's expected that they would be glued to the hip.

But then if Ruth is here, then that means…

He whipped his head back faster than he intended to. In the next second, Yamamoto Isabella walked into the room donned in a silk red dress, brown hair flowing on her shoulders, and with a bright smile as her eyes landed on the blond Italian.

"Chef!" she beamed just before her eyes shifted to the Pluspol Chef.

They stood across from each other, both wide-eyed and surprised to find themselves in the same room. Six months of total isolation from each other didn't feel enough for both of them, especially for Shinomiya as he felt his heart pounding like a bass drum.

Bella gave him a diplomatic nod and a smirk. It took every fiber of his being for him to do the same.

"My god, Bella! I feel like we haven't seen you in forever!" Hinako gushed as she walked into the room. They held hands and playfully swung them back and forth. "Your hair is so short!" she continued.

"Right," the Italian sous chef shyly replied, touching the ends of her hair. "Well, it's not _too_ short."

"Oh, Shinomiya's here too." Mizuhara stated as she trailed behind.

All eyes awkwardly turned to the coral-haired chef at the bar. "Am I not supposed to be here?" he arched a brow to his friends.

"No, no, no!" Donato protested, making his way towards him. "I called you all today to celebrate." he continued to explain.

Blank looks came from Mizuhara and Hinako. Bella could hardly contain her excitement as she placed a hand over her lips, trying to keep mum about the big news. From the other end, Shinomiya was at war with his thoughts. Seeing her again after six months reignited a few feelings he had been trying to overcome - anger, disappointment, hurt, betrayal, love. Whatever he felt for her now, he couldn't specifically put a name on it. It was as if all his emotions had come together and he just could not figure out how he would act with her being just a few feet away from him.

"We're engaged!" Donato beamed, holding up Ruth's left hand.

"Oh my god!" the two women exclaimed, gazing at the sizable diamond ring on the blonde's finger.

"Congratulations!" Hinako jumped to hug both of them.

"Yeah, congratulations, Donato." Mizuhara was lacking in the emotions department, but she was wholeheartedly happy for her friends. However, she couldn't help but sneak in a little side comment, "I never thought I'd see the day when you'd actually settle down."

Donato chuckled and replied, "I guess people change."

Shinomiya felt disgusted at that word - change. It revolted him so much that he took another swig of his liquor. Indeed, people do change - some for the better, others for the worst. For him and Bella, it was indeed, for the worst. It was one of the many reasons why they broke up.

* * *

A/N: Hello! I'm back with another Shinomiya fan fiction. If you're a fan of my previous work, "Two Can Play That Game", this is actually part 2! :) You guys have overwhelmed me with your responses, follows, favorites on that fic, so I decided to proceed with this one. The first chapter was intended to be longer - BUT, it just didn't feel right. Next part might be up soon too. Please make sure to follow! 3

love,

rocket


	2. Denial

_Chapter 1: Denial _

It was never against the odds for them to meet again. However, he didn't expect to be so incredibly stunned by her presence.

Shinomiya had conditioned himself to forget. It was difficult at first to do so, since he had known her like the back of his hand. He turned into an insomniac, haunted by the memory of her smile, the sound of her voice, and the warmth of her body beside him on his bed. Sure, they weren't always together since Bella flew back and forth Florence and Paris in the course of their two-year relationship. But it was because of that limited time that he was forced to embrace every bit of her being.

He welcomed her completely, knowing for sure that she was the one. But it all backfired on the day he woke up and Bella wasn't beside him. The previous night's fight led to him waking up alone in his apartment with nothing but a note saying, "_This is for the best."_ and that was it.

"I'll get the next round of drinks!" Hinako beamed as she pushed Shinomiya aside.

"Geez, Hinako," he grumbled and moved aside.

He bumped into her and she stopped midway into her conversation with Ruth. Bella turned, surprised to see the Pluspol Chef in front of her. She looked into his amber eyes and blinked a few times before saying, "Hi," almost in a whisper.

The quivering of her voice was strange to him. Bella had always been a woman of confidence. Even in the last leg of their arguments, Bella would remain totally unwavered. But now, she was faltering in front of him. Showing disinterest, Shinomiya merely turned away and moved to the opposite end of the group.

"When's the wedding?" Hinako asked, coming back in the group and handing everyone shot glasses.

"In two weeks!" Ruth beamed. Their group had gone silent, and she raised an eyebrow in wonder, "What?"

"You can't plan a wedding in two weeks!" Hinako exclaimed.

"Of course you can!" Ruth smiled brightly, gesturing everyone to take a shot. She then whipped out her phone and read aloud her checklist. Everything from the church, venue, flowers, music, caterer was all planned. "See, I've got it all covered!" she proclaimed.

"Wait a minute," Bella cut in, holding her hand up for her to stop. "Where are you getting married?" she added, getting a little bit overwhelmed by the information.

"In Italy, of course!" the couple sang.

Again, there was dead silence from the group. "You guys can make it, right?" Donato confirmed.

"You know we will, but it's just...so soon." Mizuhara reacted.

Bella crossed her arms over her chest. "You know I'm totally supportive. But I'm with Mizuhara on this one."

The blonde pastry chef pouted and reasoned out, "Oh come on, guys. It's not too soon…" she began, turning to her fiance and squeezing his hand. "When you love someone this much, you just can't stand not being with them anymore."

"...excuse me, I think I need to vomit." Mizuhara covered her mouth dramatically.

Bella couldn't help but sneak in a quick glance at Shinomiya. _Maybe_, she thought as she was starting to feel an aching in her chest. It had caught her by surprise when he turned to her and their eyes met once more. Through the course of their relationship, she had finally learned to read his mind. But now, she couldn't decipher a damn thing.

She turned away and sighed dreamily. "I guess it would be a good idea to go back home."

Donato was completely over the moon about her support. He took her hands, "Oh, Isabella! I'm so glad you're on board!"

"Of course, Chef." she smiled brightly.

"_Ma_, remember you can't call me '_chef'_ anymore since we don't work together!" he corrected.

Shinomiya was surprised, but what perplexed him the most about this bit of information was that nobody else seemed to be surprised about the news. Bella had left Italy? Bella doesn't work for the auberge anymore? Had their breakup wounded her so badly that she chose to leave their world?

"Donato and I will be flying to America in a few days to meet my parents," Ruth spoke as she entwined her fingers with her new fiance. It was sweet, but getting to the point of sickening to the rest since they were all single. "We'll be there for a week, so I'm hoping I can all get your help with the final wedding preps."

"Should we start buying a dress?" Hinako suggested.

"Yes, please, and if isn't too much of a hassle…" the blonde let go of her fiance and latched onto Mizuhara and Hinako's shoulders. "I was hoping you two would be my bridesmaids!"

"Ohmygod, yes!" Hinako exclaimed.

"...yay?" Mizuhara responded, seemingly unsure of what it all meant.

"That's it! I'm closing the Kirinoya!" Hinako was quick to declare. She was the only one visibly as excited as the bride.

There was far too much excitement going on for them to keep hanging out at the bar area, so they moved to a booth instead. "I'll get us a bottle of champagne," Bella suggested and headed straight to the bar.

Shinomiya could care less about all the nitty gritty details of wedding planning. So, he took it as an opportunity to catch up with Mizuhara instead, and perhaps, gather information on what had happened. He seemed to be the only one who was out of the loop anyway.

"Oi, Mizuhara," He called quietly.

"What?"

He paused, hesitating to ask. He also hoped that Mizuhara would catch on and just blurt it out for him. But it seemed as though she had enjoyed seeing him struggle. "Since when...was she in Tokyo?"

Stoically, she replied, "Since you two broke up."

It surprised him that it had already been that long. Moreover, he had been going back and forth Tokyo for months now and he had no idea that she would just be in the vicinity. How could they not have crossed paths?

Sensing both his desperation and hesitation to know more, Mizuhara continued, "But she's been all over town, in and out of the city since she hasn't been working with Donato for about five months now."

"Why?"

"She wanted to take a break from cooking, Shinomiya." Donato suddenly joined the conversation.

The rest had paused their talks about wedding plans and diverted their attention to the topic at hand. The blonde Italian knew that now everybody had their attention on Shinomiya, the Pluspol Chef would retreat with his questions. But in his heart, he had always been opposed to keeping things a secret from his best man. If it were him in his position, he deserved to know.

"Bella doesn't work for me, nor any restaurant now. She's an advisor for a few establishments." he continued.

The overly excited Hinako toned down as she spoke, "Like the Aldini brothers who are opening a shop in Ginza, right?"

"In the Ropponggi Hills with Tsukasa Eishi as well." Mizuhara pointed out.

"She goes to Kyoto a lot for the Isshiki family too, if I'm not mistaken." Ruth added.

"Once in a while she comes back in the auberge to help me, but she doesn't stay as a cook. She helps out with internal matters." Donato explained.

Donato had been holding back for months now. It was Bella's request for him and everyone else to keep quiet about her whereabouts, up until she felt ready to see him again. However, Shinomiya fought hard on the first month of their breakup. Kicking his pride aside, he had begged Donato to tell him where Bella was and what she was up to. By the second month, Shinomiya had gotten better. By the third, he seemed to have completely given up and moved on.

Feeling both angry and overwhelmed, Shinomiya turned his cheek and clicked his tongue. "She didn't have to go through so much trouble to avoid me."

Ruth shushed them once she saw Bella heading back to their booth. She whispered, "She's coming back!"

"She had to, Shinomiya." Donato quickly corrected. "She was desperate to get over you."

* * *

Champagne was the perfect excuse to get away from him. Bella used this opportunity to catch her breath and assess herself after feeling that ache in her chest. She hid herself from him for so long in an attempt to heal her wounds. But perhaps the time apart wasn't enough. Perhaps she still couldn't be indifferent.

Their relationship already had a rocky beginning, but as things progressed and they became a couple, she fell deeper in love with him - flaws and all. There were times that she disapproved of his jealousy. But as it snowballed into every fight, the jealousy turned into demands, and the demands turned into insults.

A year and a half into their relationship, Shinomiya had garnered multiple awards with the turnout of Shino's Paris and Tokyo. The height of everything urged him to accelerate more in the culinary world. After earning his third Michelin star in Paris, he went back to the grind immediately after to create the blueprint for Shino's New York.

It became all about work and less of their relationship. He had become demanding of her participation in the project. It was starting to feel more and more like a chore, and less of a passion. In his frustration, Shinomiya had become jealous of Bella's time with her own work. In her exhaustion, she had stopped taking care of him.

Long distance became a challenge. He started to miss her calls frequently. She started to make up excuses not to fly to Paris. She was afraid that if they were together, they would just keep fighting like they do every single night. He was afraid that if he answered her call, it would just get cut off by calls from her work.

As Bella awoke on that last day they were together, she gazed at him across her on the bed and felt nothing. She wanted to wake him and say goodbye, but the fear that it would stir up another fight loomed over her like guilt. She took a piece of paper, wrote the words, "_This is for the best." _and left it on her pillow.

An hour later, she assumed that he had read the note because he kept calling. She turned off her phone and never put it back on.

She had to shake off the flashbacks from her head. Letting out a sigh, Bella straightened herself up and headed back to her friends with a server carrying an ice bucket with a bottle of Dom Perignon.

Her feet felt like it was chained to a sack of rice as she walked back to their booth. Despite her reluctance to face her worst heartache, she believed that the six months away with Shinomiya did her good. She had to push back the doubts in her head. Of course she had moved on, or at least...that's what she wanted to believe.

"Well," she arrived at the booth, a hand on her hip and a mischievous smirk etched on her the sides of her lips. "Champagne is the only way to celebrate!"

Donato sighed, "_Ma_, Bella, you didn't have to!"

"Of course I had to, as what Mizuhara said, you...and I mean, _you_ are getting married!" she let out a dramatic gasp.

Ruth chuckled. "You guys are way too harsh!"

"I bet he didn't even think you guys would make it a week after you first met." Mizuhara quipped.

Hinako and Bella nodded their heads in agreement.

"Lies!" Donato commented. He squeezed his fiance's hand and declared, "I knew she was the one from the first time I laid my eyes on her."

Hinako scrunched her face up. "Weren't you drunk that night?"

The group had gone silent, and Donato stammered, answering, "N-no, I wasn't!"

"Lies," Mizuhara remarked. "I remember seeing you walking aimlessly around the bar." she then added.

"I have a high-tolerance for alcohol, you know."

Knowing looks were thrown around, no one daring to tell the truth. Until surprisingly, Shinomiya commented, "Lies."

Donato Gotoda was, in fact, the worst drinker. Despite his love for social drinking, he could never hold it down. When he would get hammered, he _seriously_ gets beat down. Bella chuckled and attempted to comfort her boss, "It's fine, Donato. Not everyone can hold down liquor like I do." she gave him a wink.

"LIES!" Hinako, Mizuhara, Donato said in chorus.

Bella was wide-eyed, startled with their accusations. "What?" she asked in wonder.

"Remember my birthday last year?" the blonde Italian leaned in and cocked an eyebrow at her.

How could she forget? Everyone arrived in Tokyo for Donato's 29th birthday. While they all thought that it would just be a mellow night out, Donato actually had other plans. Bottles upon bottles of liquor had been ordered, poured, and gotten drunk on. Bella always prided herself with having a high tolerance for liquor. Being in constant social gatherings trained her to watch herself around alcohol for her own safety as well. That being said, Yamamoto Isabella and liquor were pretty much acquaintances...except for one little outlier in this equation - vodka.

She buried her face in her palms.

Laughs stirred from the group as they watched her pout and hide in embarrassment. Hinako reached to give her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "It's alright, Bella." she comforted and then sighed, "The most embarrassing thing you've ever done is just get dead ass drunk like me."

Bella paused and looked up, catching the knowing stares of everyone else in the room. "Lies!" Donato sang from across them.

"...what?"

"Hinako, remember Donato's 29th birthday?" she reminded.

Hinako shook her head. "What about it?"

"You stood up on the bar top and told everyone to swipe right on your Tinder." Mizuhara flatly replied.

It took awhile for the realization to kick in, but when it did, Hinako turned visibly crimson. "LIES!"

Bella chuckled and grabbed the bottle of liquor. "More champagne?" she offered, tilting the bottle towards her direction.

The wheels on Hinako's head started turning as she took a sip. It had been way too long since they've had this much fun. "Hey," she started, a smirk forming on the edge of her lips. "I have a fun idea."

* * *

In the next few minutes, Hinako had suggested to play a game called _Truth and Lies_, as she had coined it. Each person assumes something about a person in the group. If the assumption is correct, the person takes a shot. If it was false, you - who assumed, takes a shot.

"What kind of a stupid idea is that." Shinomiya snarled.

"It's not stupid!" Hinako rolled her eyes with a huff.

Donato took the bottle of tequila and started to pour the contents into each shot glass. "Well, it sure sounds like a lot of fun." he was smiling as he handed them out.

There were certainly mixed emotions from each person in the group. While Donato and Ruth just casually played along, Mizuhara and Shinomiya didn't seem to be particularly thrilled with the idea.

Ruth then cleared her throat and scooched to the edge of her seat. "Can I start?" She looked around and her eyes landed on the teal-haired chef. Her lips pouted in thought. "Mizuhara," she started, tilting her head to the side as she smiled. "You're dating someone."

A chill ran through her spine as the air became incredibly thick. All eyes darted on her, quietly waiting for her reply. But Hinako couldn't help it, she tried her hardest to control herself, but she ended up snorting a laugh.

"Why the hell are you laughing?" Mizuhara sharply turned to her.

"Ruth started it off so easy. You? _Dating_?"

"Lies," Mizuhara replied flatly.

"Oh?" Ruth was doubtful. After all, she had been keeping this to herself for months now. She was sure that she had caught her quite a few times, meeting an all-too familiar man in secret. "I think you should let the poor guy in and join us rather than let him freeze out there in the cold." She pressed, gesturing to the bar door. Her eyes turned dark and a playful smirk etched on the corner of her lips.

She began to look uncomfortable and everyone noticed this, which prompted them to eye the doorway. "What the hell, Mizuhara? We're in the middle of Winter!" Donato exclaimed.

"You have a _boyfriend_?!" Hinako cried in disbelief.

Mizuhara simply let out a sigh and took the shot glass to her lips. "Who knew you could be so evil?" she told Ruth before pushing back the tequila down her throat.

"What?!" Bella stood and made her way to the door. A minute later, she returned with the most unexpected person they could have invited. "Well, I couldn't find anyone else. But look who I ran into." she said, as she unlatched from his arm.

"Sekimori-senpai!" Hinako's jaw dropped. "I thought you were going out of town?"

The Japanese chef chuckled awkwardly, "I was...but plans have changed." he replied, shooting glances at Mizuhara.

"No…" Bella darted looks from one chef to the other. She turned to Ruth, and her eyes confirmed it.

Donato then took notice. "No way! No way!" he then laughed out loud. "Are you serious?!"

Hinako started to pick up and she nearly screeched in her realization.

"Sekimori-senpai is your boyfriend?"

The questions and comments rolled in like the firing of a machine gun. Who would have thought that Mizuhara could actually be capable of being in a relationship, let alone with one of their best friends for that matter? Shinomiya couldn't even get a word in, so he resolved to just sit back and watch Mizuhara get swallowed up in the embarrassment of the truth.

"Er...I think you need a drink, Sekimori-san," he heard Bella offer awkwardly.

They locked eyes the second he peered into her direction. For a split second, he remembered the way Bella used to be before things turned ugly - Sweet, sensitive, and selfless. He downed his glass of liquor and felt the burn in his chest. He couldn't run away from the fact that he missed her. But nonetheless, he promised himself that by the end of the night, he'd rather be drunk and in denial about it than lose in the game of _Truth and Lies_.

* * *

a/n: it's been...a while. so sorry for the late update! things have been so busy with finals and the holidays. i hope this is good treat for you guys who follow and fave this piece. thanks for reading and happy holidays. :)


	3. Midnight

A/N: Hello! Sorry it took forever to update. I hope you guys will still read this. :)

* * *

Chapter 2: Midnight

"_Ma, ma,_ you can sit together, if you want." Donato suggested. He thought it was incredibly ridiculous that the newly discovered couple, Mizuhara and Sekimori still chose to sit far apart. The two were beet-red from embarrassment as the rest of the group bombarded them with questions.

"I just can't believe it," Bella pouted. "How long have you been together?"

"…four months." Sekimori answered. The answer earned a shocked echo from the group.

"How could we not notice?" Hinako was baffled. She then turned to the blonde American, "How come _you _know?"

"Sekimori usually picks her up after we go out," she replied as a matter of factly. "We just don't notice because everyone is too drunk by the end of the night when we say our goodbyes."

Shinomiya rubbed his temples, trying to digest this information as well. "Do you guys not do anything but drink?"

Looks were exchanged across the table. "Yes?" they answered in chorus.

"I mean, what else is there to do? Attend Hot Yoga or something? You've got to be kidding me." Hinako jeered.

Shinomiya had been in and out of Tokyo in the past few months. In his previous stays, he would usually just manage to stay for a day or two before hopping on a plane back to Paris. Safe to say, he had missed a lot. With always having limited time in Tokyo, he didn't really have the capability to stick around longer and hang out with his friends unlike now.

"Right, doing rounds in the kitchen itself is a workout!" Ruth cheerfully added.

"How long are you staying in Tokyo, Shinomiya?" Bella suddenly spoke.

She lined the rim of her champagne glass with gusto. It surprised them that she would address him so casually. She didn't even bat an eyelash when he locked his eyes on her and replied, "One week."

Hinako's mouth rounded in shock. "That's pretty long!"

"Everything okay at Shino's Tokyo?" Mizuhara finally joined the conversation, seemingly curious as well.

The coral-haired chef shrugged. "Of course, why wouldn't it be?"

"You just always tell us that nothing concerns you in Tokyo so you never stay long enough."

Hinako was right, in the past few months, Shinomiya was quite clear to them that the only reason he comes back for Tokyo is to check on Shino's for a day or two, sometimes just to guest in a television show. Other than that, he's declined to host a seminar in Totsuki, he doesn't even visit his mom anymore, he just flies her to Paris.

"Right," he trailed off. His eyes shifted from the group. "Sylvette wanted to see some investment opportunities in Tokyo, and needed my help."

Dead air filled the room.

There's nothing more frightening than hearing the name of another woman on his lips. Although Bella never wavered from his gaze, her heart felt like it had suddenly dropped. She felt her mouth go sour, and her head started to spin.

"Who's Sylvette?!" Hinako piped up.

He looked at all of them, albeit the Italian brunette and answered, "My girlfriend."

* * *

Much to Mizuhara's delight, the attention had then completely shifted to the Pluspol Chef. The next ten minutes were focused on him as he sat there, completely showing aggravation as he awkwardly answered questions.

"Well," Donato started, clearing his throat in the process. For a split second, he wondered if he had ever missed him saying anything about seeing a new woman. But no, he believed he couldn't have, because other than his new fiancee, he had spent a great amount of time talking to his best friend in the past six months. "Girlfriend?" he clarified, his neck craning back in uncertainty.

Shinomiya folded his arms over his chest and sighed, "Yes."

"You're kidding, right?" Hinako leaned close with a smile, elbowing him playfully in jest.

Feeling annoyed at having to explain himself, he groaned and pushed her away. "Why would I kid about that?"

"Who the hell is Sylvette?" Mizuhara joined in.

"Are you guys deaf or something? I keep saying she's my girlfriend!" Shinomiya explained again, his voice tainted with aggravation over the matter.

But the problem didn't lie on their ability to hear, but more like the ability to process this information. Shinomiya Kojiro had a new girlfriend, and she's in Japan with him for a week. When the fuck did this happen?

Donato tried his best to be as discreet as he could. He snuck a glance at his ex-sous chef and wasn't at all surprised that she was being perfectly normal and unaffected by all this. Bella was sitting up, eyes fixed on Shinomiya and lips upturned, showing interest and amusement at what she was hearing. But despite her cool and calm demeanor, she couldn't fool Donato of the landslide that was happening inside her chest.

"Well, where is she?" Mizuhara demanded.

"At the hotel," he simply replied. But still, the teal-haired chef seemed unconvinced. "I didn't think it would be such a big deal to bring her here tonight." he then added out of defensiveness.

"We would have loved to meet her," Bella suggested, giving him an earnest smile. "Bring her along next time."

Ruth looked at Bella with wide eyes. She could do nothing but just blink and study her face. Was she missing something? She could have sworn that she wasn't that drunk when they both went out for drinks last weekend and Bella nearly broke down, saying that after all this time, all she could do was think about Shinomiya.

But it was secretly equally as confusing to Donato as well, who had faith that his two friends would eventually get back together. Distance _should_ make the heart grow fonder, right? But how did Shinomiya end up with someone else?

"Fine." Shinomiya replied and took a sip.

* * *

Games are great and all, but nothing beats the fun of hearing gossip. They exchanged stories and updates on their fellow Totsuki alumni. Sekimori informed everyone that Dojima Gin was getting married for the second time. Hinako spilled the tea on Tadokoro Megumi and Takumi Aldini becoming close, probably dating. Even Shinomiya spoke, saying that Yukihira stayed with him for a few months in Paris, but god knows where he was now.

A little later, Ruth and Donato said their goodbyes. They assigned a few wedding prep errands for their entourage to ease them of the stress as they needed to get ready to leave for America and meet Ruth's parents. Mizuhara followed suit, saying that she had enough socializing for the night (typical).

"Well, I'll be off as well." Bella declared as she stood up and slid into her jacket. "Last train leaves in a few minutes."

"Train?" Hinako clarified.

She hummed in reply. "Ruth and I shared a cab, but I'll just take the train home. It's just a few stops to my apartment."

"Why don't you just ride with us? We're taking Hinako home too." Sekimori suggested.

"It's too much work dropping off so many people. I'm just a few stops away, I'll be fine." she waved them off.

"I'll drop you off." Shinomiya spoke. His suggestion earned silence from the group. "It's not a big deal. The hotel provided car service. And besides…" he trailed off, scanning Bella from head to toe. "You shouldn't take the train in that." he added, suggesting the provocativeness of her red satin dress that was sure would drive too much attention from the drunken midnight express.

She pulled her jacket tighter to her chest. There was a hint of aggravation in her voice, "I'm fine."

"Are you worried about being awkward around me?"

There was a dryness in her throat. "Of course not." she bitterly replied.

But indeed, it was incredibly awkward.

Bella couldn't figure out how she easily gave in to Shinomiya's offer. Perhaps it was the worry of Hinako that prompted her to just agree, or maybe the reluctance of burdening Sekimori into having an extra stop along the way home.

Her body immediately tensed up the second Shinomiya slid right next to her in the backseat. He told the driver the address, but then she quickly piped up, correcting him of where her new apartment was. "Right..." he said, sliding back and crossing his arms over his chest. "You moved."

"Yeah," was all she managed to answer as the car drove off.

The car ride was relatively silent. Bella couldn't help but keep thinking about the last few words he said.

'Right, you moved'.

She felt her heart sink as she thought of those words. It made her wonder if he ever came back to find her after they separated, and if he did, how did he feel when he found out that she just packed up all her belongings and completely relocated without saying a word? She slowly glanced to his direction. _Did you look for me?_ She wondered, as she studied the outline of his face, staring out into the darkness.

They had never been so close, yet so far at the same time. Just merely inches away in the backseat of a black SUV, but feeling worlds apart with the gap caused by their history. Bella tried her best to keep her cool, but the irony of the situation caused her to overthink. _How long did you try to find me?_

She opened her mouth a few times like a fish out of water, and when she tried to speak up again, Shinomiya finally turned and locked his eyes one her, making her pause and lose her train of thought. "What?" he asked as the car reached a stop.

The driver declared that they had reached their destination, and Bella simply shook her head and replied, "Nothing."

Shinomiya bit his tongue, stopping himself from pressing any further. Months may have passed and a lot of things might have changed, but some of Bella's mannerisms have stayed the same. It was easy for him to tell when she was lying. He knew that she wanted to say more.

But what stopped him were the doubts in his mind. He wondered if he was just _assuming_ that she wanted to say more for the sake that maybe he wanted her to do so.

He stepped out and opened the door, reaching his hand out. Without thinking, Bella took it and immediately felt her stomach drop with the electrifying sensation of that simple touch. She hastily pulled away and said, "Thanks…"

Awkwardly, she tucked a strand of her hair at the back of her ear. She smiled, "It was nice seeing you again after a while."

His sweaty palms slid into his pockets. "Same."

Legs shaking, she began to walk away without even looking back. She placed a hand over her heart and felt the thumping in her chest. Why was she so nervous? Why was every step feeling like she was sinking in quicksand?

She stopped, turned her heels and watched him take a step into the SUV. The silence of her neighborhood was deafening, but at the same time, she could hear the million voices in her head probing her to do something. "Chef!" she called, and instantly clamped her hand over her mouth. _Oh shit, _she thought.

Shinomiya turned, and as he laid his eyes on her again, he began to get a sinking feeling in his chest.

Bella wondered if the next few words would make or break her. If he would say yes, would she be ready to welcome the consequences of letting him take a step back into her life? If he said no, would she be able to handle the harsh reality that they were, in fact, over?

She bit her bottom lip for a second then spoke, "Would you like to come up for a drink?"


	4. Deja vu

Chapter 3: Déjà vu

Bella had never felt so nervous in her entire life. It felt like a lifetime of silence, when in reality, only a few seconds had gone by. She watched him sigh and she swallowed hard, bracing herself for his reply.

She wondered what got into her to be so bold and invite him upstairs. She wondered if she had any motive behind it, and if she did, what would have she wanted him to say?

"No," he said, without any sign of hesitation.

She watched him leave. Even when the car had driven off, she couldn't bring herself to move. She had not prepared herself for this. It felt like walls were closing in on her and every muscle in her body had gone weak. "I…" she whispered to herself.

She couldn't believe it.

The invitation she posed to him ended up haunting her that night. She tossed and turned in bed, replaying the scene over and over in her head. "God, Isabella, _basta, basta_!" she told herself. Eventually, she rolled out of bed and went into the kitchen to get herself a glass of red wine.

"I mean...of course, why would he say yes in the first place?" she scolded herself.

She paced back and forth her apartment as she lightly swirled her glass. "I should have known better."

Consequently, Shinomiya was going through the same plight. He was quite firm with declining her invitation, and he had no regrets. Yet, he found himself so incredibly uneasy that night. He was drafting a few recipes which he would need for Shino's New York, the project he had put on hold after their breakup. But now that six months had passed, he was ready to bring it back to life.

He glanced at the clock, seeing that it was almost 2 AM. Her face constantly flash backed in his mind that night - the wrinkling of her brow, teeth chewing on her bottom lip, eyes wide and misty...he knew that expression so well. It was the same face that he would see every time they would get into a fight. Every time he remembered it, he felt an aching in his chest.

The door opened and in came a woman with long, blonde hair. Her skin was fair and her cheeks were flushed, as if she had just been out drinking. "Oh, Kojiro!" she greeted as she kicked off her shoes.

"You've been drinking." was his rigid reply.

"That obvious?" she giggled and made her way to the bathroom to get changed.

"Your face always gives it away."

She came out in a powder blue negligee. "Just a few drinks with potential business partners. You know the drill." she replied, making her way towards him. "Hmm, what's this?" she asked, noticing the papers on the desk. "New recipes?" she added, and gave him a peck on the lips.

"It's nothing...just some drafts."

Sylvette picked it up and read, "Grand Cassoulet, Pot au feu, Soupe au Pistou…"

She put down the paper and sighed. "Kojiro, _no_, this is New York we're talking about. Remember, we talked about this before? We need something more grand than this."

Shinomiya was visibly frustrated. "How grand is _grand_? How the hell am I supposed to know?!" his voice rose.

"Woah, don't take this out on me." she chastised, crossing her arms over her chest. She clicked her tongue and shook her head at his behavior. "You asked for _my_ help on this new venture of yours...why are you so angry at me?"

He just grunted in reply. Slowly, he began to give up and get ready for bed. Perhaps he was feeling overwhelmed over everything that happened that day.

Sylvette slipped into the sheets. "Why don't you come with me to New York next week?"

"I can't," he immediately replied from behind the bathroom door. "I'll be in Florence."

"Florence?"

"My friend is getting married."

She sighed, grabbed her phone and began checking her emails. "One of the people I met today, Haru Suzuki, is a co-investor in a new, French restaurant in the Roppongi Hills," she delightedly started. But alas, Shinomiya didn't seem to be interested in this news. He was probably still annoyed at their little spat about the menu she lightly criticized. He absolutely _hates_ it when she does that, even though he also knows its necessary for her to do so.

"You know, he referred me to this person who's supposed to be a wiz in business development." she added, but still, he seemed to be disinterested. She could only hear the water running and the occasional sound of the toothbrush from the bathroom. "He's supposedly one of the most sought after consultants in Japan and Europe."

"What does this have to do with me?" he finally spoke, emerging from the bathroom.

"If you and I can't work on this when I'm in New York, then you're better off hiring someone who can work with you remotely." she explained, unfolding the sheets and gesturing for him to lay down beside her. "And besides, I have my own businesses to attend to, Kojiro. I can't keep waiting on you."

He narrowed his eyes on her and grumbled, "I'm not asking you to."

"_Assez,_" she warned, competing with his notorious glare. "Enough, Kojiro. I'm not trying to pick a fight with you. I'm telling you what's best for us since we're both in very pivotal spots in our career."

Slowly, she slid her hand on his lap. Leaning in, she seductively whispered, "Come on, why don't we just do something we can both win at." she teased, placing a kiss on his neck.

This would normally work for them. But oddly for Sylvette, her partner just wouldn't have it. "I'm not in the mood." he stated, putting her hand aside.

"Hm?" she hummed, a little taken aback by his answer.

He stood up and headed to the table to once again get some work done. There was something so off about Kojiro that night. It was quite unusual that he would decline her advances. Their time together might have only been a month, albeit it was enough for her to get accustomed to his usual temper.

"How was the get together with your Totsuki friends?"

"Fine," Shinomiya absentmindedly answered, as he typed away on his laptop.

"What are the names of your friends again? Donato, Hinako, Mizuhara...did I miss anyone?" She was genuinely thoughtful of her statement. But it seemed to trigger something in him.

"_Assez_," he warned as well. "It doesn't really matter."

Sylvette wondered what put him in such a bad mood. Whatever it was, she was convinced that she simply had no time to deal with his whims. If he didn't want to talk about it, that's fine. She had better things to think about, and more matters to attend to in the morning.

She rolled her eyes at him and turned off the lamp on her side of the bed. Snuggling into the sheets, she said, "I hope you're in a better mood tomorrow because we'll be meeting a lot of people." she reminded him.

He didn't bother to reply. As much as he hated to admit it, he was, definitely, acting childish. But the thing about Sylvette is that as bright and charming as she is, she could be equally as cold and calculating as him. It was one of the reasons why he was attracted to her. They both had the equal drive to succeed in the culinary world - him as a Michelin star chef, and her, as an investor and produce supplier to all the top restaurants in the world. She was the heiress of LNI Corporation, a huge food trading business based in Bordeaux.

Her friends have always said that they were perfect for each other. They were the hottest power couple in the food industry, and it was only a matter of time before they could take over the world.

Sighing, he stood up and resolved to grab a small drink of whisky. As he took a sip, he looked over her on the bed and grimaced at the thought of her being right...again. The reason they work so well together is because they prompt each other to succeed. It makes sense that they were together.

Shinomiya barely got any sleep that night. Perhaps it was a bad idea to have a sip of whisky, because all it did was further remind him of Bella's invitation. He didn't really see the point of that after she disappeared for six months. What good would it have done for any of them if he had said yes?

* * *

Business carried on as usual the next day. In the shopping district of Ginza, where tourists from all over the world gathered to shop the finest brands and delight themselves in extraordinary degustations, a new restaurant was setting up shop.

Tall bright windows, hanging plants and industrial ceiling lights caught the eye of every passerby. But what made it particularly busy that morning were the group of women who gathered up front. They giggled and squealed, talking in hushed tones as they donned their beautiful Spring dresses.

The shop wouldn't open for a few more days, but the ladies couldn't help but visit early for the resident chef that made them swoon.

"_Nii-chan,_ those women are back again for you." Isami Aldini pointed out as he came into the main floor with a cup of espresso.

"It's amazing how we haven't even opened, and yet, you've already accumulated such a huge fanbase here in Japan." Bella commented, joining them at the table.

Takumi Aldini gave the women a sheepish wave. His face turned beet red as he heard them squeal in delight.

"Does Tadokoro know that she has competition?" she cocked an eyebrow at him.

The blonde sipped on his espresso and replied confidently, "She doesn't have competition."

His brother elbowed him playfully. "If only she knew how you felt though, right?"

"Isami!" he barked.

"What do you mean '_if only she knew'_?" Bella set the cup down with gusto. "You haven't confessed?"

"...no, I was going to." he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Haven't you guys been 'friendly dating' for a while now?" she clarified.

"_Sí_, but it's complicated!"

Bella shook her head in disbelief. Complicated, really? _Confessing is the easy part. Wait 'til you actually get to the relationship_, she bitterly thought. It wasn't like her to think so harshly about these things. But perhaps, somewhere between her own heartbreak and moving on, she had grown into the tendency of being iffy about love.

Isami leaned in and fake whispered to her. "_Nii-chan_ is just afraid to get rejected."

"I am not afraid of such things, Isami!" Takumi protested in vain, as the two just laughed at how riled up the blond Italian got over such a joke.

Takumi and Isami Aldini, being newly graduates from Totsuki, decided to stay and open their flagship restaurant in Japan. It had been three months since they started laying down the groundwork for it, and now, at almost ninety percent in completion, they were ready to launch.

It was easy for them to grow close, due to the fact that they shared the same native tongue, they were from the same city, and carried the same values. Though it had been a while since Bella had gone home to Italy, whenever she was with the Aldini brothers, she always felt like she was home.

A little later, everyone got down to business in completing the menu for Trattoria Aldini. Likewise, the admirers of the Aldini brothers eventually went their own ways, still with the promise of returning the next day.

Isami, being in charge of floor planning and table setting was the only one left at the main floor. He got distracted upon noticing a woman by the door. She was profusely knocking against the glass.

"_Mi_ _scusi_, we're closed." Isami said, pointing to the sign.

"I'm not here to eat. I'm here to meet someone." Sylvette answered.

It was then that Isami noticed the black SUV behind her. Whoever this woman was, she definitely wasn't one of their admirers. With the hunch that she was probably from either Totsuki or the WGO, he opened the door and let her in.

"_Nii-chan_!" he called out.

She flipped her luxurious golden hair and took her sunglasses off. "I'm looking for Yamamoto-san."

Just then, Takumi stepped out of the kitchen, immediately noticing their unfamiliar guest. He gave her a diplomatic nod and greeted, "_Buongiorno_, Madam."

Before he could even turn to his brother, Sylvette immediately stepped forward and greeted him back. "_Bonjour_, Yamamoto-san. I'm Sylvette Martinece." she extended her hand to shake his.

Despite the confusion, Takumi shook her hand anyway. "_Mi scusi,_ madam. You're mistaken."

"What do you mean?" she was perplexed.

Isami had excused himself briefly, as his brother explained. "I'm not Chef Yamamoto. I'm Takumi Aldini. My brother will be back with Chef Bella shortly."

Her brows furrowed. "Chef Bella…" she repeated, trying to digest the facts.

The problem with Sylvette is that even though she was quite proficient in speaking Japanese for business, she had not frequented the country enough to get used to the culture. She had forgotten that in Japan, people were a lot more formal and had referred to each other by last names, that degrees of closeness and superiority mattered, and that up until now, she still had not grown accustomed to the huge differences between Europe and Asia.

And due to all this, she ignorantly assumed that Yamamoto was simply the first name of man, and not the last name of this so-called 'business wiz' who happens to be a woman.

"_Salve_," Bella had greeted, after being warned that this woman was no ordinary customer. She was a little taken aback at how stunning she was. With her sleek beige pantsuit and white Manolos, she exuded sexiness. She swore that even from a few feet away, she could smell Chanel No. 5.

"I'm Bella Yamamoto...you're Sylvette Martinece?" she asked, shaking her hand.

With a little bit of reluctance, she obliged. "Yes...oh, god, I've completely forgotten to ask for your full name from Suzuki-san."

She giggled. "It's fine, he already called me this morning, telling me to expect you and your partner today."

"Right," Sylvette pursed her lips and looked back at the glass doors. "He should be in any minute, he's just a little busy with some phone calls from Paris. We both have limited time in Japan in the next few days. I'm hoping that we can all work something out."

By this time, Takumi had already left the women alone. It was nearly lunchtime anyway, and the staff were wrapping up for their break. "Would you like to stay for lunch?" she invited.

"No, no, I have to rush to another meeting in Shibuya." she happily declared. In Bella's eyes, Sylvette looked like the type of woman who would be thriving in such a demanding lifestyle. She had such a powerful aura, but at the same time, she didn't seem intimidating at all. "Kojiro should be here any - oh, there he is!"

_Kojiro?_

Bella swallowed hard, seeing the coral-haired chef enter. She then realized how incredibly dumb she was for not making sense of all the little details.

_Sylvette._

_Partner. _

_Paris. _

Shinomiya's voice from last night echoed in her head as they locked eyes from a distance.

_'My girlfriend.'_

He stopped for a second by the door, a little bit stupefied by the encounter. In that second, they both wondered if each knew that they were expecting each other. But with the way Bella and Shinomiya had locked eyes, it was pretty clear that they were just waiting on each other on who would react first.

"Kojiro, this is Chef Bella Yamamoto. She's the one I mentioned to you last night!" Sylvette sounded chipper right before her phone rang, distracting her to pick up the call. "_Cherie,_" she placed a hand on his arm. "You two should talk first. I'll just take this call."

It felt like everything had happened so fast. Before they knew it, the situation became a little bit like the night before - uncomfortable and awkward.

"Well…" Bella began, staring at her toes. "This is...I mean," her eyes shifted towards him. "That's Sylvette, huh?"

"What are you doing here?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Me?" she gasped. "Your girlfriend was the one who was looking for _me_."

He could hardly believe that the 'wiz in business development' Sylvette was talking about was his ex girlfriend. Although, he had to admit, it was because of Bella that he was able to even achieve a three star status the last time. But a '_wiz'_?

"This is where you work?" he changed the subject.

"Sort of…"

The blonde came back in, coiling the ends of her hair in thought as she continued to scroll through her phone. "I need to go, Kojiro. I'll be late for my next meeting." she said, leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheeks. "See you for dinner tonight?"

Turning to Bella, she spoke, "Sorry to just run off like this, but I'm just glad to introduce you to each other. I'll join you for a meeting soon."

_Introduce you to each other? _

The Italian chef waited until Sylvette had completely left. She then sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "She doesn't know, does she?" she asked him with a knowing look on her face.

"No."

"Right...well, have a seat." she invited, knowing that she was safe this time. "I'll just have something prepared for us while we talk."

She turned to the kitchen but stopped, looking back at him. "Chef?" she called, the softness of her voice giving him a slight chill. "_Un cafe serre_?"

There was something about her invitation now that sounded a lot more appealing to him than that of last night. Perhaps it was a temporary feeling of madness and nostalgia as it reminded him of how she used to wake him up in Paris with that same question. Maybe it was also a way to feed his curiosity. Who was Bella now compared to six months ago?

He nodded. "As always."


	5. Anger

_Chapter 4: Anger _

Two ex-lovers sat in front of each other in the future Ginza Trattoria di Aldini. Both had remained quiet for a few minutes, pretending to casually sip on their cups of coffee. Sometimes they would stall by looking away, avoiding each other's eye. But heaven knows they can't keep up this game of hide and seek for so long.

"Um, so," she started, then taking another quick sip at her cup of coffee. She mustered up all the breath in her lungs and asked, "You're here for Shino's?"

Shinomiya placed his cup down. "Look," he started, then crossing his arms over his chest. "It wasn't exactly my idea."

"I figured, seeing as your girlfriend didn't even know about us."

He was silenced by this remark. It really was quite fishy that Shinomiya did not even bother to tell Sylvette about their past. Was it because it was too early in their relationship or was it because Shinomiya avoided the topic at all costs?

Bella spoke firmly, "Look, I personally find this situation quite weird, to be honest. Do we really want to throw ourselves into this again?"

"Hm," Shinomiya mused. "You weren't so against the idea last night."

Her cheeks turned pink and she turned away. "Right, well, that was last night and we've had a lot to drink. So, it was just probably the buzz."

"You and I know that we're both the heavy weights in our group. Last night was nothing." Shinomiya casually stated.

Bella found herself tongue tied. _What is he trying to do?_ She thought as she slid back to her seat. It seemed like Shinomiya was trying to get her to admit that she was caving in to him. Shinomiya was right, she wasn't drunk, nor tipsy last night. The invitation she posed was done completely sober on alcohol but slightly hung over him. It was a mistake that Bella did not want to attempt on making again.

"I was just being nice. We haven't seen each other in a while and I figured that we could salvage our friendship, seeing as we'll be together for the wedding in a week."

Shinomiya felt an ache in his chest. He clenched his fist from his lap and coolly replied, "You and I were never just friends, and you and I can never be friends."

The weight of his words formed a pit in her stomach. She cleared her throat and brushed him off, "It doesn't matter. This is not about us. Our friends are getting married and we need to be at the very least, civil, if not friends."

"It's just like you to not give me a choice." he bristled.

Shinomiya had suddenly felt cornered as the feelings of hurt crawled under his skin. The six months that passed were just too damn painful, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself that it wasn't and that he was fine. He swore that he would never let her in the same way.

Bella stood and followed as he started to walk out. "Don't pin this on me, Shinomiya." she warned.

He turned around, and looked at her with cold eyes. "How could I not when you're the one who left?"

It felt as if the air had been sucked out of her lungs. "Get out." she snapped.

Shinomiya froze, seeing how Bella's lips had tensed. Her eyes turned stony and her stance became rigid. He had never seen her so indifferent, and he might come off as assuming, but for a second he could have sworn that she was turning into...him.

Without a word, she pointed to the door and that was enough for him to turn around and leave.

* * *

Later that night, Bella invited the girls to her apartment for drinks. Unfortunately, Mizuhara was stuck in her restaurant catering to a private event. Ruth was also too busy packing for her and Donato's trip to America, so it was only Hinako who showed up.

"Asahi?" Bella offered, leaning the bottle against Hinako's head.

"Thanks," she replied, grabbing it and taking a satisfying sip at the beverage. "Oh man, that hits the spot. Today was a rough day at the restaurant."

Bella rolled her eyes, "Ditto." and plopped next to her on the floor cushions.

"So, what's up?" Hinako turned to her expectantly.

"Mmm...what do you mean?"

Hinako leaned back and relaxed. "Drinks again? I'm all for it, but we just went out last night. Something troubling you?"

It's not like it was really a problem because Bella refused to let the incident at the Trattoria affect her. It wasn't easy to admit, but it was definitely eating up a lot of her head space. Maybe that's why her first instinct was to call the girls despite lacking the urge to actually talk about it. "No...nothing, really." she shrugged it off.

Hinako eyed her suspiciously and fell back on the cushions. "Well, if you won't talk about it, then I will," she started, staring at the ceiling. "Can you believe it? Shinomiya-_senpai_ has a new girlfriend?"

"Um, yeah, I mean...I met her earlier today." she hesitantly replied.

Instantly, Hinako sat up and turned to her. "What?!"

"I met her earlier today...and Shinomiya too."

"H-how? Where…why..." Hinako turned frantic over the news. "What did she look like?"

Bella took a sip and sighed. "Blonde? Beautiful? Rich and successful?" she pondered aloud. "If she was a fragrance, she would be Hermès."

Hinako's face scrunched up. "What the hell does that smell like?"

"I'm not sure...but I imagine it smells like new money." the Italian replied thoughtfully.

"Err...new money doesn't exactly smell good - not the point!" Hinako put her hands up, getting a grip on the situation. "How did you meet her?"

"I received a phone call this early morning from one of my old clients. She was a referral, so I was expecting her and her partner today...I just didn't expect the so-called partner was Kojiro." she explained, then gesturing to Hinako's phone propped up on the coffee table. "You can Google her, by the way - Sylvette Martinece."

Hinako jumped to grab her phone. She unlocked her phone screen and typed with fervor. A few seconds later, her eyes widened and she was speechless. "God...she's a...goddess." she looked up and found Bella giving her a 'what the fuck?' face of betrayal. Instantly, she threw her phone to the couch and cleared her throat. "Psh, I mean, yeah, she's pretty but can she cook?"

Bella tried to stifle laughter. "Is that really your amazing comeback to all this?"

"Well...what happened?" she carefully asked.

"She just stayed long enough to introduce herself and her boyfriend to me, which of course, Kojiro and I already knew each other. But -"

"Did she know about the two of you?!"

"Um, no...apparently not. Shinomiya never told her about us."

"Huh," Hinako breathed out in disbelief and suspicion.

Bella took a sip of beer. "Right...huh," she said, agreeing to her reaction.

"Then what happened?"

Bella narrowed her eyes and clenched her teeth, giving a look of pain. "Well…" she awkwardly started.

"What, what, what?!" Hinako demanded, grabbing the pillows in anticipation.

"I offered him coffee and he obliged. It turns out...Sylvette reached out to me for Shino's New York. When Kojiro and I sat down to talk about, I told him I didn't think it was a good idea for us to be so involved with each other. It didn't end so well."

"Just because you refused?"

"It wasn't exactly that…" Bella sighed. She sat up and took a deep breath, then admitted, "I invited him to my apartment last night."

"Oh," was the only thing Hinako could say. She then leaned back and gave a knowing look.

"He said no, Hinako." she flatly replied.

"Then what happened?"

"He and I started arguing because I said that I invited him up so we could try and be friends again." Bella reasoned out. But the more she said it aloud, the dumber it sounded. Who the hell would invite their ex-boyfriend past midnight up to their apartment? It only meant one thing. Hinako surely understood the context of it, why didn't she? Then again, maybe she did...and she was just too proud to admit it.

Sure enough, Hinako crossed her arms over her chest. "Right…" she mocked.

"Anyway, he said that he and I were never just friends and could never be friends. I reasoned out saying that we had to, for the sake of Donato and Ruth's wedding...to keep the peace, you know?"

"Uh huh…"

Again, the more she said it aloud, the more she realized how dumb and selfish it sounded. Bella sat criss-cross, becoming more aware of everything. "...he said that it's just like me to not give him a choice. When I told him that he shouldn't pin it all on me, he said that...I'm the one who left. Then I told him to get out of the Aldini brothers' restaurant. The end."

Bella sighed and finished the bottle of beer in one huge swig. Hinako just sat there and sighed after her.

"Well?"

"Well...what?" Hinako asked dumbly.

She leaned on her palm and looked at her, expecting some reasonable advice. "What do you think?"

Hinako carefully took the bottle to her lips. "I don't know, Bella. I mean…" she started, taking a sip. "Shinomiya-_senpai,_ no matter how much of a bonehead he is...was right about everything he said."

"Oh," Bella's face fell.

Hinako, feeling alarmed at her friend's sudden mood shift, began to frantically wave her hands again. "I mean, yeah, you make sense as well. I totally get where you're coming from. But it's just that Shinomiya was really…" she stopped and bit her lip.

Her heart started beating loudly. "What is it?"

Hinako shook her head. "It doesn't matter."

"No, Hinako...what is it?"

She sighed heavily. "You told us not to tell you after you left…"

Bella closed her eyes for a second and swallowed hard. The things she had been trying to avoid for months...she guessed she never could completely avoid them after all. "What is it?" she repeated.

Hinako hesitated still, but Bella's gaze never wavered from hers.

"I can understand why he doesn't want to be friends. When you guys broke up...Shinomiya was a mess. It hurt him so badly...more than you could probably ever imagine, Bella. I can't even explain it." Hinako spoke, as she recalled all those times Shinomiya had gotten drunk with them after the break-up.

She remembered how they took him home and he would be so angry at everyone because they all refused to tell him about Bella's whereabouts, but then just before he passed out, they would hear him cry. The times that Shinomiya would be walking back and forth outside her Tokyo apartment before his flight to Paris, hoping that Bella would come out. Then later, he found out she never even lived there anymore.

Hinako droned on, until she realized that she had been thinking all of it aloud. She slapped her hand to her mouth. "I said too much," she was wide-eyed.

Bella slowly stood up and reached for the empty bottles. She felt an undesirable but familiar feeling in her chest. Her heart started to break, and she felt her eyes becoming pierced with tears. Turning away, she headed for the kitchen.

"Bella...I'm sorry." Hinako watched as her friend slowly moved to grab ingredients from the fridge.

"No, it's fine, Hinako...you want dinner?" she asked, and continued to prep the ingredients anyway despite Hinako refusing her invitation.

* * *

It was almost 11 PM when Hinako left her apartment. She stayed more than she had intended to despite being on the opening shift of her restaurant, _Kirinoya_, the next day. As Bella cleaned up and got ready for bed, she couldn't shake off this unnerving feeling from everything that she learned that day.

She grabbed a pair of jeans and a relaxed button down shirt, and paced her apartment a few times debating in her head. It was as if she was about to lose her mind. With a grunt, she finally stopped and grabbed her sweater. Soon after, it was her purse and she was out the door.

It clearly wasn't logic that led her to Shino's that night. Obviously, it was a case of stupidity. What was the point of going there if she didn't really have any purpose? Maybe it was a little bit of guilt. When Hinako told her earlier that Shinomiya used to wait for her in her old apartment building, it stabbed her like no other. Somehow, not like it mattered or made a difference, but she felt like standing outside Shino's as well.

She managed to catch the last train. Her ride home was a mystery, but walking home probably wasn't such a bad idea with all the thoughts consuming her at that moment.

Her heart skipped a beat the closer she got to Shino's. But what made it almost fall out of her chest was seeing the light open from its windows. "What the hell? Are they still open?" she whispered to herself as she became cautious of her arrival.

It didn't seem like anyone was in the restaurant. The sign also said that they closed two hours ago. Were people only starting to close up now? Then, she saw two young chefs about to head out. Immediately, she shifted directions and began walking to the other side of the road. _I look like an idiot, _she thought as she walked away slowly, just far enough for the two chefs to be out of sight.

She walked back and still, the lights were on. Sliding her hands in her pockets, she took in a deep breath. "What am I even doing here?" she groaned, staring at the windows.

It took about a few minutes until she was rattled by the sight of Shinomiya walking around the main floor. "_Cazzo_!" she cursed and froze as he immediately spotted her. She then turned around and walked away.

A few seconds later, she turned around once more and found her way back to the restaurant, stopping just a few feet away from the door. She noticed how Shinomiya just looked right back at her, seemingly anticipating her next move.

When he grew tired of their staring contest, he finally opened the door and stepped out. "Are you just going to stand there or what?" he asked boredly.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "Am I welcome inside?"

Shinomiya hesitated, but then swung the door open leaving her to bring herself in. "Thanks," she said as he continued to walk back.

The warmth of Shino's felt familiar. Nothing had changed about the place. It was the same woody interior accentuated by maroon wallpaper. The table settings were still white with a minimalist centerpiece. The chandeliers were still dark and industrial.

Shinomiya stopped and faced her. He folded his arms over his chest and spoke, "Here to apologize?" He wasn't being smug. In fact, he was a little bit inhospitable about it.

"No, not really."

It's not that she was being too proud. She genuinely wasn't sure. The time Bella was on the train and walking to Shino's, she still had not thought about her purpose for coming there late at night. Somewhere deep inside her, maybe, she wanted to apologize. But then there was more hesitation to do so because she felt like she wasn't ready. The real question is...ready for what?

"You traveled 20 minutes from your apartment to come here...for what?" he pried, getting impatient at her resistance. "At this time of night." he added, making her feel the weight of her actions.

It took her awhile to reply. But when she did, she looked him straight in the eye and said, "I mean, I guess...I just felt like it."

Shinomiya wondered if she was still the same as before. Does she still have that look on her face when she's lying? Had she learned and gotten smarter about it? He was silent for a while, searching her eyes for clues. But then, he realized that his mind might end up playing tricks on him, urging him to believe only what he wanted to.

"Whatever," he grumbled. "What happened earlier...it was already awkward for both of us, and I guess I pushed it too far,"

Bella was surprised. Who was this Shinomiya and when did he ever admit that he was wrong? She clutched the fabric on her chest, trying to take in a breath as dark thoughts loomed over her head. Was it possible that Sylvette changed him for the better?

"We don't have to be anything. We're professionals." he stated.

"What do you mean?" she clarified.

"Sylvette set up the meeting because I need help with Shino's New York," he started to explain. "You already know how I run Shino's, so I wouldn't bother with anyone else."

Bella pointed to herself in disbelief. "You're hiring me?"

He sighed. "What do you think?"

"Hm," she hummed and looked up to think. "Well, only if you feel the same about the wedding," she shifted her gaze to him. "I love Ruth and Donato, and I would do absolutely anything to make them happy - that includes you and I getting along for their big day."

Shinomiya thought about it for a second before extending his hand. Consequently, Bella stared at it for a moment before reaching out to him.

Perhaps it was a mistake that they decided to shake on it. The second that their hands touched, Bella felt like her heart would drop to her stomach. The electricity she felt with the sweeping of their fingertips against each other's skin made her swallow hard, trying to contain the gasp that was fighting to be released from her throat. They stared at each other in silence, waiting on each another to break contact first...but neither one of them did.

"You're still so sentimental." he jeered, still holding her hand.

But she couldn't speak. Her cheeks turned pink, and her eyes gave it away. This time, Shinomiya was sure...Bella wanted to be kissed.

* * *

_**Author's note: **_Please don't hate me for that cliffhanger. If you are new here, welcome! Thanks for being here. "The Ex Games" is part 2 of "Two Can Play That Game" and this series is my most favorite fan fiction that I've written so far. If you went straight to this, please, please read "Two Can Play That Game" first to get a better feel of how Bella and Shinomiya's relationship progressed. I love details, and I've written so many verbal and non-verbal cues about this couple that is **crucial** to the plot development of this fic. Shokugeki no Soma is almost over with this last season and I promise to finish this fic as well. Stay safe, everyone! Thanks for following and making this your favorite.


	6. Bargaining

_Chapter 5: Bargaining _

Some things never change.

The scent of strawberries from Bella's shampoo. The way her lips partly open whenever she's stunned. The shape of her eyes as she stares back into his, wide-eyed and unsure...and what it all meant. The past 24 hours might have been confusing for Shinomiya, trying to figure out if the signs he had been seeing were a hasty assumption. But this time, he had never been more sure.

He gave her hand a quick squeeze and then let go. "It's late. I need to close up." he stated, averting his gaze to the wall clock.

"Right," she almost stuttered, turning to walk away.

Her heart wouldn't calm down. It felt like it would explode in her chest. She needed to get out of there.

"Bella!" he called, but she wouldn't stop. Temporarily, her world seemed to have closed in, feeling like she was experiencing tunnel vision. She could hear him saying something, but the words don't seem to make sense.

Absentmindedly, she pushed the door open. But just as she was about to step out, Shinomiya grabbed the back of her sweater and yanked her back in.

"Hey!" he called again.

She turned and faced him, brows knitted together and disoriented. "Huh?"

"I was asking how you're going home. You've already missed the last train by now."

"...right," she replied, fishing for her phone in her pocket and checking the time. She realized that she had just instinctively attempted to leave Shino's without a plan. "Uhm...I'm going to walk?"

It was the only sensible thing to do. Taking a cab would be ridiculously expensive for such a short distance. From the start, she had decided that walking was an option anyway. She looked up and found him looking right back at her, eyebrows furrowed with a look of concern. "I'll walk you home." he spoke firmly.

"What?"

"Give me ten minutes."

* * *

They walked together quietly. It felt familiar. It was as if they were reliving their routine in Paris, when they would walk back home to Shinomiya's apartment after a busy day at his restaurant.

Bella glanced at him and he looked back, raising his eyebrows at her expectantly. "What is it?"

"Sylvette is probably looking for you." she reminded him.

He instead decided to focus on the path home. "She knows how I work."

Bella did the same and pursed her bottom lip. "You're not exactly working right now." she mumbled.

Shinomiya rolled his eyes and shook his head in disbelief. "But it's not exactly appropriate for me to let a woman walk home alone at this time of night."

"We're in Japan!" she scoffed. "There's no place else on this planet that's absolutely safer than here."

He abruptly stopped and she looked at him, wondering what was wrong. Shinomiya then leaned forward and flicked a finger to her forehead in reply. She winced and mewled, "Hey!" just before attempting to quickly slap him on the forehead in revenge. As always, Shinomiya was quick to dodge it though.

"I hate that."

Shinomiya clicked his tongue. "I know."

It took a couple of seconds of her glaring at him before her eyes suddenly softened and her lips curled up into a smirk. She found it nice that things were slowly becoming normal between them. Well, maybe not normal, but at least less awkward.

"Psycho," he commented and turned to walk again.

She narrowed her eyes and marched behind him. "What did you say?"

Their relationship, albeit not the most ideal, had always been full of fun and games. What started out as casual lovers then bloomed into something beautiful as a committed relationship. Nobody expected them to fall apart. She brought out the best in him - Michelin stars, nonstop investors fighting for a spot in Shino's, and even the prospect of another international location.

Shinomiya thought he did the same for her. Her skill in building culinary establishments were refined by his guidance. He enhanced her taste in wine, which food goes best with what, and the art and patience of international cuisine. Perhaps it was what made her the most in demand restaurant consultant in town.

They grew together not just in their profession, but also as people. She taught him how to open up to others, how to trust, how to show a little more empathy. He taught her grit and how she needed it in their competitive industry. But weeks later, after she left him, Shinomiya wondered if he was to blame for their breakup. He knew that Bella had the tendency to be an escapist in her past relationships. Did he fail to convince her of his loyalty to her?

"Shinomiya, are you...planning to tell Sylvette?" Bella carefully asked.

"I don't see the point in telling her now," he replied and quickly glanced over her. Her expression, as he looked at him seemed to be worried. "We're over. She has nothing to worry about."

His words stung, but it couldn't be helped since it was the truth. Bella had forgotten how incredibly blunt he could be. She chuckled awkwardly, "Right...I just thought that as a woman, I would probably like to know."

"Sylvette isn't that kind of woman."

She was silenced. It was a mistake for her to even bring it up. Brilliant as she was, it was still naive of her to think that she could just pretend that everything was casual. Bella looked away, trying to hide her look of dismay.

"Am I seeing you again today?" he asked, breaking the minutes of awkward silence.

"Today?" she clarified, then realizing it was past midnight. "No, I'm leaving for Kyoto."

"Kyoto?" he was confused.

"For the Isshiki family. I stay there for two days when I do business with them." she explained.

"I see."

"Did you need me to work on something already?" she asked, feeling strangely hopeful at his question. She pulled her phone out of her pocket. "Do you have LINE? We can just video call each other and discuss -"

"I don't do video calls." he cut her off.

His strong reply caught her off guard. She opened her mouth to argue, thinking that it was impossible, since through the course of their long distance relationship all they ever did was have video calls. With a bit of hesitation, she replied, "Yeah, you do."

"I...used to."

Through these bits and pieces, Bella was starting to learn more and more about Shinomiya post-breakup. She wondered if something as simple as a video call became a nuisance in his life when they were together. Now that he was with Sylvette, were things a lot easier? Better? More convenient?

For most of their relationship, their phones became an extension of themselves. It was their life line to one another. But Shinomiya doesn't need that with Sylvette now. They have each other all the time. The woman probably has a private jet to fly her to places and see Kojiro anytime she wants. Maybe she has assistants who can do things for her while she clears up her schedule to have dinner and then some with him.

Bella rolled her eyes at the thought of it all. Then she started to get a mental picture of her luxurious blonde hair again, which reminded her that her salon treatments probably don't come close to whatever expensive Keratin treatment Sylvette has every month. While she smells of Hermès or Chanel, she would smell of Suave strawberry shampoo.

"It's this one, right?"

She stopped and realized that they had arrived in front of her apartment building. "Yeah," she replied.

As they looked at each other, one thing became clear to her. She was jealous of Sylvette.

"Well, yeah, here we are." she chirped. "You're so quick to memorize my new apartment!" she added, inwardly questioning the point of what she had just said. "You really didn't have to walk me all the way here."

Shinomiya raised a brow at her. "You're not going to invite me up again, are you?" he said in jest.

She could see the knowing smirk play on the edge of his lips. Bella scoffed, "You wish."

A car slowly pulled up behind them. "Is that…?" she trailed off. "How did it get here so fast?"

He held his phone up. "I messaged him along the way."

There were questions in Bella's head. If he had a damn car, why did they need to walk? When did he message the driver? Was she too distracted by her jealousy over Sylvette that she didn't even notice? Did he want to walk her home? If so...why?

"Here," Shinomiya prompted, holding up a business card. "You can email me for anything."

"Thanks...well, goodnight."

He made sure to watch her enter the building before he turned and hopped on to his car. A few minutes later, his phone alerted him for a LINE message.

_**Unknown Number: Thanks again for walking me home. - Bella **_

_**KShinomiya: I said email. **_

_**Unknown Number: I was hoping to change your mind. **_

Shinomiya put his phone down and slid back on the seat. Sighing, he removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. He himself couldn't understand how he was behaving. Walking her home? And how the hell could he let himself overthink that handshake when it was his idea in the first place?

He clicked his tongue in ire. But still...he grabbed his phone and re-read her message. Despite his mixed emotions and assumptions, there was one thing he couldn't deny. He was glad that Bella was stubborn enough to message him instead.

* * *

Author's Note: Well, this chapter was short. My god, how badly I wanted them to ~kiss~ but all good things take time...or will it actually happen?

If you could LINE Shinomiya, what would you say though?


	7. The Blame Game

A/N: This is the longest chapter I've written in a while. I didn't expect it to be this long, but I just didn't have the heart to break it up into two or else it would disrupt the flow. Writing this was hard, but so satisfying, especially after the cat and mouse games in the previous chapters. Also, I see the number of readers in this fan fic has gone up the past week, and I am so so happy. Thank you so much for reading and for leaving your reviews. :)

* * *

_Chapter 6: The Blame Game_

"So, I'll just wait for you to send me the remaining documents and proposals for the New York investors. I should be able to finish it before we fly out to Italy." Bella informed, as she diligently jotted down notes on her planner.

"I'm sending it to you ri-" Kojiro stopped speaking. For a second, Bella thought that the internet connection in Kyoto was just bad. She had been experiencing some lags in the past, so it didn't surprise her that they would eventually be having connection problems.

"This place really needs a better service provider." she groaned and looked up to the screen. But it wasn't the faulty connection that made Shinomiya freeze. Her eyes widened when she saw Isshiki Satoshi standing a few feet behind her clad only in his ever famous loin cloth.

"Isshiki!" she hissed and immediately put down the screen.

Despite not being able to see what was going on, Shinomiya could hear Bella stand up and stomp her way towards him. "I'm in another business meeting! I told you not to walk around like that when I'm on a call!"

Shinomiya shuddered at recalling the image of another man who was almost naked. But more importantly, he was horrified at the thought of such a person just casually walking around Bella. It was none of his business, but the thought of it was certainly not comforting.

Bella came back with a huff and raised the screen to refocus on her. "Sorry about that. He forgets sometimes."

"Sometimes?!" Shinomiya tried hard to contain his bewilderment.

"Yes, unfortunately, this isn't the first time he's walked in my meetings like this. It's great when I'm dealing with clients who are women though." she explained, but Shinomiya still seemed to be stunned. "Uh...are you alright, Chef?" she waved her hand to the screen, trying to decipher if the screen was frozen or he was.

He snapped back to reality. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Bella lightly chuckled.

"What?"

"It was a pleasant break from being too serious though." she pointed out.

It was true though. From the second they logged in, they had been so stiff and focused on getting the job done. There was no room for pleasantries, frankly because they were too awkward to do so. Bella was persistent about video calling, just because it was more convenient. Though Shinomiya eventually agreed to it, the second they both logged on and saw each other on screen, they seemed to just be awkward around each other.

"How can you behave so casually about that?"

"About what?"

"That guy in the-"

"Yamamoto-_san_, you want some sake?" Isshiki popped in once more and Shinomiya felt a vein twitch.

"Yes please. I'll be right there." she replied with a smile. She averted her attention to the screen once more. "What was that?"

Shinomiya sighed. "Nevermind."

"Hey, did you get the message from Ruth?" she asked.

"The one about the entourage attire? Yeah, I did."

"Have you already gone to the shop?"

"No, I haven't had the time to do so."

"Maybe we should all just go together for a fitting when I get back."

Shinomiya had his pride. Despite his feelings from the night before, he wouldn't admit that he was interested to know when exactly she would be back. He felt strange when he realized that he started looking forward to her return. But pushing pride aside, it was also the fact that he had a girlfriend, for god's sake. He shouldn't be thinking about these things.

Just then, he heard that half naked brat call her name again. "Alright, Satoshi!" she yelled back then looked at him again. "I have to go, Chef. I'll check out the documents you sent in the morning. Talk to you later!"

Before he could get a word in, she had already logged off. As Shinomiya stayed there, sitting alone in his hotel room, his imagination couldn't help but run wild at what he had just witnessed. A half naked man and sake sounded like a recipe for disaster. He closed his eyes and shook his head. There's no way Bella would be into that brat.

But anyway, why should he care?

A little while later, Sylvette entered the hotel room from yet another full day of business meetings. "Hi, _chérie_, how was your day?" she routinely greeted and headed straight for the dresser.

"Good," he nonchalantly replied.

She took off each piece of jewelry and made her way to him. "Still working?" she asked, turning her back to him and prompting to undo her zipper.

"Yes," he answered, obliging her request. "I just got off a video call with Bella."

Her brows furrowed in confusion. "Bella...Bella…" she repeated, mulling over the name. The thing about Sylvette is that due to her demanding lifestyle, she had often been bad at memorizing names especially with people whom she had only met once. "Oh, you mean the chef I introduced you to, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, how did it go?"

He ran his fingers through his hair. "Fine," he plainly replied. In his head, it was all fine until a half naked man suddenly showed up inviting her for a drink. "She's getting started on some investor contracts."

Sylvette looked over his laptop, curious to see his progress. "We should be getting good investors. Word around town is that she's quite a charmer, especially in negotiation."

'_She was',_ Shinomiya thought as he continued to listen. Frankly, he couldn't deny that fact since he was quite drawn to her on the first night they met. Despite it being one of the things he loved about her, it was also the very thing that vexed him in their relationship. He hated it when men would get too comfortable with her during business meetings. He remembered his annoyance with Reo, one of their investors who was way too flirtatious with Bella. Thank god that jerk was now married to some B grade actress.

"I mean, I guess I do find her pretty...what do you think, Kojiro?" she turned to him.

He swallowed hard, completely off guard with her question. "She's...okay." was his safe reply.

As Sylvette headed to the bathroom to freshen up, Shinomiya revisited his decision of keeping his and Bella's history a secret. Though it was true that Sylvette wasn't the jealous type, Shinomiya just could not bring himself to open up about his past relationship. But still, he had to get a grip on reality. "Sylvette," he called.

"_Oui_?" she answered, coming out in her negligee as she dried her hair.

"About Bella -"

"You know, I kind of want to set her up with one of my friends, Adrian. What do you think?" she seemed to burst with pride at the idea. "I wonder if she's single…" she mused, discarding the hand towel and walking close to wrap her arms around him.

She gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "I'm sorry, _chérie_, I was just thinking out loud again. Were you saying something?"

"Nothing," he cleared his throat. His jaw felt tight at the thought of her blind dating one of Sylvette's friends. Still, he convinced himself that it was none of his business. He brushed it off, "Just that she's been a big help so far."

She smiled sweetly at him and took his hand. "Well, I'm very glad to hear that. Now we'll have more time for ourselves." the tone of her voice was low and sultry. "Come to bed, _mon __chérie_."

He kissed her hand and caressed her cheek. "I'm sorry. I have to finish a few things."

"Kojiro," she purred as her lips twisted into a pout. "We never do anything fun anymore." she added in a whine, as she plopped on the bed.

"You can come meet my friends tomorrow. We're going out for drinks." he invited.

Sylvette sat up and grinned. He had always been so private about his relationships, that the idea sounded so new and exciting. "Sure, why not?"

* * *

_**Hinakothegreat: Join us for drinks! Mizuhara, Sekimori and I will be at the American Bar in Roppongi tonight. **_

_**DolceBella: I guess it's a good thing I'm coming home early then. **_

_**Hinakothegreat: See you at 10 pm. **_

It was one of the rare occasions that Bella had decided to come home early from her Kyoto trip. After last night's sake session, along with a heavy debate on the history of her and Shinomiya's breakup, Satoshi Isshiki managed to convince (more like kick out) Bella to take the earliest train back to Tokyo.

Isshiki felt that she had been bullshitting her way through a fake friendship with Shinomiya. As per his advice, "You can't be friends when you've recognized that you're jealous." So with that, he pretty much hurled her back to Tokyo, convincing her that he'd be just fine so long as she had approved the sake he made her taste the night before. In any case, she had to because Satoshi was way too excited and already ordered fifty cases before she even got there. After all, the supplier is one of his beloved Polar Star Dorm mates, Sakaki Ryoko.

His only request, though it wasn't simple, was for her to come clean with her emotions. Isshiki only left it at that, telling her that she could either choose to be truly honest with Shinomiya or at the very least, herself.

Like in every melodramatic movie, Bella sat by the window seat of the train. She stared into the scenery as her thoughts were consumed with questions and what if scenarios.

_What do I even say?_ She realized that despite their rocky history, she continued to love and long for him in those six months. In fact, she never stopped. _Why did I even leave in the first place? _She began to question as she recalled the feeling of Shinomiya's skin brush up against her own. Something would always flutter in her stomach whenever she remembered the feeling of his breath on her skin, his piercing gaze, the smirk he gave when he would say something in jest.

Slowly, she felt more sure about herself. Bella wanted him back, and she had a gut feel that he felt the same way too. He had to, he wouldn't insist on walking her home if he didn't. Shinomiya wouldn't do that. He wouldn't have easily answered her LINE messages if he didn't. He would've insisted on emails if it were someone else. He wouldn't look at her like that, as if he could read her mind whenever they would speak. He had to feel the same way. _He just has to. _

_**DolceBella: Did you invite Shinomiya for tonight?**_

_**Hinakothegreat: Yes, why? **_

She didn't bother to reply. When night fell, she took a long bath, dried and curled her hair, spritzed on some Chloe perfume and took out her finest dress - a red silk dress, almost the same as the night they first met. Paired with a black moto jacket and strappy heels, she grabbed her purse and called for a cab. Who cares if it would cost a lot? She was going to pour her heart out tonight, she had to go all out.

Heads turned when she arrived at the bar. Hinako jumped out of her seat from the booth and welcomed her. "Oh my god, is this how you look every time you come home from Kyoto?!" she exclaimed.

Bella chuckled. "On a good day, maybe."

"Business must be good with the Isshiki family. You look great!" Sekimori complimented.

"Thanks, Sekimori-_senpai_. Hey, Mizuhara." she greeted back.

"Oh, Shinomiya_-senpai_ is here!"

Bella felt her heart skip a beat. She tried to conceal her grin as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and turned. There was Shinomiya, standing by the door. They found each other and his eyes grew intense. Bella pursed her lips and her cheeks turned scarlet. The way he looked at her - eyes glazing from head to toe made her want to melt. But then all of that quickly faded away when Sylvette appeared behind him.

* * *

Of all the thinking she had done in the train, there was one thing she had left out of the equation - his girlfriend. Perhaps she was overly confident with Shinomiya's actions, such as the way he would keep sneaking in a glance at her despite Sylvette sitting next to him. But still, it didn't change the fact that her arm was possessively wrapped around him like a snake.

In dismay, she grabbed the bottle of vodka and took a shot.

Despite the awkwardness of the situation, Hinako tried her best to lighten the mood. "Oh my god, so you're Sylvette!"

The blonde smiled. "Yes! I'm Sylvette Martinece. You must be Hinako!" she beamed and extended her hand. She then greeted Sekimori and Mizuhara respectively, then smiled at Bella. "Love your dress, Chef Bella." she complimented, raising her brows impressively at her.

Well, at least she wasn't a bitch. It was hard to not like her.

The rest of the night continued from small talk to life updates, then to the talk of Donato and Ruth's wedding in Tuscany. "Are we all going to the shop tomorrow?" Mizuhara asked.

"Yes, all of us. Ruth decided to get the tux and bridesmaid dresses at one place for convenience. It's in Ginza, I think." Bella replied.

"What color is it again?"

"It's sage, right?" Hinako confirmed.

Sekimori turned to Shinomiya. "Are you going straight to Tuscany or stop over Paris?"

"Ugh, well, I haven't really thought about it." Shinomiya replied, running a hand through his hair. "I've got some things to take care of in Paris, but I'm not really in the mood for an extra pit stop, you know?"

"Kojiro, I could just look after the restaurant, you know." Sylvette suggested.

See? She's nice. It would have all been easier if she was a bitch. Bella took another shot of alcohol. Technically, she planned to steal her man that night. But how could she now, when she seemed so sincere? She probably cleared her entire schedule just to join them at the bar that night.

"You really don't have to. Gao Wei is there anyway."

She pouted. "It's nothing! You know I always have the time for that...well, except when I'm in Bordeaux."

"Bordeaux?" Mizuhara asked.

Sylvette's eyes gleamed. It seemed to make her happy that they were finally keen to know more about her. "Yes, my family and my business are based there."

"That's cool," Hinako leaned in, showing interest. "What kind of business do you run?" she asked, despite knowing it already from her Google stalk fest with Bella a few nights ago.

"Oh, well, we distribute ingredients and produce. That's actually how I met Kojiro!"

"She's from the LNI Corporation." Shinomiya stated.

Sekimori seemed to be taken aback. "LNI? You supply the Totsuki Resorts!"

Sylvette began to show excitement. "Yes! Yes! We do, actually! It was one of the first few things Kojiro and I talked about when we met. I was thrilled to know he was from Totsuki." she spoke, then looking at him. "My family and I adore chefs from Totsuki - Dojima Gin, the Nakiris - oh, especially Sanzaemon."

So, not only was she beautiful and rich, she was pretty much part of their group from her family affiliation with Totsuki. Bella was starting to feel more and more threatened. She aggressively grabbed another shot of vodka. The more they knew about her, the more they felt like she was another alumni in the school.

They continued to trade stories about the school, restaurants and hot trends in modern cuisine. Her knowledge with food and liquor were impressive, Mizuhara couldn't help but ask, "You've never thought about being a chef?"

Sylvette chuckled. "No, not at all. I've tried it, but I'm more fascinated with the business behind running restaurants."

"Oh," Hinako stopped midway through drinking. "You're like...Bella."

She was halfway through her nth shot when she noticed everyone staring at her. "Sorry, what was that?" she asked, setting the shot glass down.

"You seem to drink a lot. I'm so impressed at the way you hold your liquor! I could never." Sylvette complimented.

"You know, Sylvette. Bella and Shinomiya are the only ones who don't get drunk whenever we go out." Hinako explained.

_Hopefully,_ Bella thought as she was starting to feel her palms sweat. She sat up and grabbed a shot glass, filling it before handing it over to Sylvette. "Your training starts now." she joked, and both women chuckled before downing it at the same time.

She peeped a look at Shinomiya as she set the glass down. He didn't seem too impressed for some reason. "Bella, I've been to a lot of meetings here in Tokyo and every single person I meet can't seem to stop talking about you!" Sylvette beamed.

"I hope they were all nice things." she sheepishly replied.

"Oh, they were! You're a restaurant whiz, they say. You can turn anything to a money pot in a year!"

"Ugh, stop." she rolled her eyes and pursed her lips in embarrassment.

Hinako's jaw dropped. "Are you _that _good? How come you haven't been helping me in Kirinoya then?"

Bella sighed. "You always say it's all in the food, not the restaurant."

"Because she's old school. Fits her age, too." Mizuhara slyly remarked.

"Shut up, Mizuhara!"

Sylvette couldn't help but chuckle at their exchange. "How long have you all been friends?"

"Pretty much since we were all in Totsuki...except for Bella. She came in just a few years ago with Donato. It was kind of funny how it all started, actually." Hinako explained.

Sylvette seemed genuinely interested. "Sounds like a good story. What happened?"

"Well, it all started with a practical joke on Shinomiya on New Year's, and -"

Shinomiya suddenly came out of his silence by clearing his throat. "Hinako, we don't need to relive _that," _he said, venom seemed to drip out of his mouth on his last word.

But Sylvette was resilient. She argued, "Oh come on, _chérie_, it sounds like a good story!"

It was then that Bella, Mizuhara and Sekimori realized that Shinomiya still had not told Sylvette of the breakup. Confused as to why he still fought to keep it a secret, Bella grabbed another shot glass and offered one to Sylvette too. They downed it again, and this time, the sweat in her palms were accompanied by a chill in her spine. She also felt it creeping up to her head as she set the glass down again.

"Ugh, I can't!" Sylvette made a face and stood up. "Sorry, I'm just going to the bathroom. This vodka is making my face feel heavy."

"Are you okay?" Sekimori checked.

She waved her hand to him. "Yes, I'm alright. I'm just not used to drinking this, that's all." she replied with a smile. "God, I envy how you hold it all so well." she added, patting Bella's shoulder before stepping out.

The second she was out of sight. Mizuhara and Hinako immediately bombarded Shinomiya with complaints. "How the hell does she not know?!" or "What the hell, Shinomiya, you didn't tell her?" came out of their lips.

"What good would it do to tell her?" was his reply.

"Are you serious?!" Hinako was dumbfounded.

"Are you that of an idiot?!" Mizuhara joined in.

Bella, feeling the effects of the alcohol, clenched her fist and clicked her tongue. "How about she doesn't hire me?" she spat, trying her best to keep her thoughts straight. "If she knew about us, she wouldn't think about hiring me for Shino's New York. Then we can both stop pretending already."

Shinomiya felt his throat go dry. "Pretending what?"

Her eyes widened and she stared at him incredulously. Had Bella become too forward? Was she the idiot for thinking that Shinomiya could possibly still have feelings for her? Maybe she was...everything seemed to collapse in front of her. She began to feel insecure of herself, thinking she was an idiot to hope that he still felt the same way about her after six months.

"You suggested that we be friends for Donato's wedding, right? Despite the circumstances."

Oh, how she wanted to slap him. She was drunk, but not drunk enough to cause a scene by doing that. Her teeth were clenched and she was about to retort, when Sylvette had already made her way back.

Hinako, in an effort to lighten up the mood again, decided to refocus their attention on getting to know Sylvette. "So, where do you mostly stay? Paris or Bordeaux?" she asked.

"Oh, well, I officially moved to Paris when Kojiro and I became a couple. He asked me to move in with him about a week after!" she smiled.

_No_. Bella felt her heart drop. It shattered into a thousand pieces and she felt like she couldn't breathe. She needed to get out. Pulling up her phone, she opened the taxi app and immediately booked a ride.

She did all this hurriedly, grabbing another shot of vodka, as if she wasn't drunk or numb enough from everything.

"Bella, are you okay?" Hinako asked, noticing her actions.

"I-I need to go home." her words were starting to slur as she shuffled through her purse. She then stood up, keeping her head low. "Sorry, I-I just really need to go." she said and started walking away.

"Bella!" Hinako called out. Sekimori and Mizuhara called out as well, but she chose to ignore them. She needed to get out no matter what or else she would just crumble in front of everyone - in front of picture perfect Sylvette, for god's sake!

Her face was numb, that she didn't notice she was starting to cry. It was only when the tears fell near her lips did she feel that her world was collapsing. How did this all happen so fast? It had only been almost a week since she saw Shinomiya again. How could she be thrown back into a world of pain after six months?

"Bella!" Shinomiya's voice startled her as he came out, causing her to fumble over.

Immediately, he grabbed her arm and pulled her up. But he wasn't received so warmly by her. She moved her arm away and stepped back. "Let go of me." her words were seething as she looked at him.

He was stunned to see that she was crying. "Your jacket," he said, handing it over. "Bella, you're drunk. You can't go home alone. Come back inside."

"No!" she cried. "Get away from me."

He reached for her again, but she continued to step away. "I said get away from me, damn it!" she warned. "God, Shinomiya, you're so unfair!" she yelled. All the pent up emotions from their breakup and the six months and one week resurfaced as she wiped her tears away with her arm.

"_I'm_ unfair?!" he argued back. "You left without saying a word. You didn't give me a fucking choice!"

"_No_, you're the one who's unfair." she enunciated every word. "You pushed me away and blamed our problems on me. You pushed me into leaving. And you're doing it again now."

"How the fuck am I pushing you away?"

The cab came in sooner than she had expected. She tottered to the car door and stopped, holding the door open and looking at him for one last time. All at once, all the hurt from the past and the present came out like word vomit.

"Why is it so easy with her but so difficult with me?" she asked him, tears still falling. "I waited for you to want me as much as I wanted you. I was ready to give up Italy for you, for Shino's. But you never asked me to. You asked Sylvette to move in with you _one week_ after she became your girlfriend. We were together for two years, Kojiro. When times were hard, you pushed me away when I tried so hard to latch onto you. You pushed me away."

Shinomiya was silent as he tried to step forward. But Bella put her hand up, warning him to stay away. "You and I are forging another partnership because you didn't stop Sylvette from finding me. You never told her about us...she _still_ doesn't know."

The cab driver started complaining about their drama in the middle of the road. Bella clicked her tongue at him and shut him up by telling him she would give him a hefty tip.

For the last time, she looked at Shinomiya with misty eyes and said, "You can't be this unfair. You just can't...and I can't keep being in love with you when it hurts this bad."

Bella slid into the cab and waited a few more seconds for him before finally deciding to close the door. Until the very end, Shinomiya had said nothing.


	8. Endings and Beginnings

Chapter 7: Endings and Beginnings

The week ended in silence. Since that night in Roppongi, Bella had gone quiet, ignoring everyone's calls and messages. The only people she managed to stay in touch with were her clients. But still, even with Isshiki Satoshi pressing for an update on what happened, she just brushed him off and focused on work. She locked herself in her apartment, even refusing the visits of Hinako and Mizuhara. Despite knowing how worried they were, she was convinced that she just had to be selfish at this time and be alone with her thoughts.

Bella awoke on a bright Monday morning to the incessant ringing of her phone. She rolled around her bed, annoyed, and tried to ignore it multiple times. When she resolved to give up, she groaned in frustration and grabbed it. "_Pronto?" _

"_Dio Mio!_ What is wrong with you, Isabella?! I have been worried sick. Hinako and Mizuhara have been calling me nonstop about you. I have been calling you over and over again. I can't believe you would even ignore MY phone calls!"

_Donato._ She held the phone away from her ear as her face contorted into a look of pain. This is not how she imagined how she would start the week at all. "_Buon giorno_, Chef Donato."

From the other end of the line, she could hear Ruth scramble around, saying, "Did she finally pick up? Oh god, give me the phone! Hello, Bella? Hi...what the fuck is wrong with you?!"

Bella lazily ran her fingers through her hair. "Hi Ruth,"

"We thought you were dead or something!"

"What the hell? What on earth made you think -"

"Hello!" Ruth clicked her tongue. "Why would you go all AWOL on us?"

Bella sighed and got up. Well, guess it was the perfect time to start the day. "I didn't intend to go AWOL, okay? I...I just needed time for myself."

The sound of shuffling could be heard again. "Isabella, we're going to put you on speaker, okay?"

"Where are you guys now, anyway?" she asked as she was busying herself with making coffee.

"We're in my parents' house! But we're currently packing, so we can be ready to leave for Italy in two days." she heard Ruth yell from somewhere in the room.

Donato's voice seemed to be the closest to the phone. "She has a lot of last minute items..." he mocked.

The sound of rustling and zipping could be heard in the background. Ruth would most definitely be in charge of packing. She's _extra_ organized. For sure, she overpacked again too. "Isabella, we heard about what happened…" Donato cautiously spoke.

She stopped and swallowed hard. Here we go again. "About what?"

"About Shinomiya and what happened that night in Roppongi." his voice was low and serious.

"Oh," she reacted, her face once again contorting into a look of pain.

A long silence had passed in which Bella didn't even attempt to speak about it. What was there to say? Frankly, it was getting exhausting to talk or even think about it - about Shinomiya. "Isabella," Donato said, his voice sounded of warning.

"I'm sure whatever Mizuhara and Hinako told you is exactly what I would tell you as well."

"I'm not interested in hearing the story again. What I am interested in is what you're going to do next."

"I expected you to ask that too." she sighed. "Well, I'm holding my resignation letter now as we speak." she added, picking up a piece of paper from the counter. "I don't think he's left Tokyo yet. I'll drop by Shino's today."

"He hasn't!" Ruth hollered.

Bella rested a hand on her hip. "How the heck do you know?"

"We spoke with all of them over the weekend." Donato explained. "But...are you sure about resigning, though?"

She shrugged her shoulders and sighed. "It's for the best, Chef. Shinomiya and I can't work like this...not when there are feelings involved. I don't even know why it took so long for me to realize it. I mean...it's not like I didn't want him back in the first place."

No, the fact is, she never _stopped_ wanting him back in the first place. Donato knew this all too well. But until now, why Bella Yamamoto continues to be stubborn about her feelings remains a mystery and grave annoyance to him. She can pretend all she wants about being civil, but she can't keep hiding behind her bullshit excuse of "professionalism". Her feelings would always come back to bite her in the ass.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked.

She chuckled. "I've said everything that needed to be said. I'll be fine. Better to end it now before the wedding."

Ruth and Donato locked eyes, both communicating a sense of doubt regarding Bella's well-being. Still, now wasn't the time to argue. Wounds are still fresh, and it just might stir up even more frustration in the Italian. Heaven knows she's way too good at escaping everything.

"Oh, by the way, another reason why Ruth is going crazy is because we don't know if you were able to pick up your dress since Hinako said you didn't go with them to the fitting." Donato mentioned.

"Come on, me out of all people? I might have gone AWOL but I'm not aloof to everything else. Of course I got the dress!" she answered.

A few more exchanges and reminders before their flight to Italy and they eventually hung up. Bella put the phone down and sighed. But like having an annoying tick, she couldn't help but look at the messages. She scrolled through the missed calls from Hinako, Mizuhara, Sekimori, Donato and Ruth. There were countless messages of concern from them as well. But the one that stood out to her the most was the lone message from Shinomiya.

_KShinomiya: Bella...please._

* * *

His words echoed in her head throughout the train ride to Shino's. _Bella...please. _It was mind boggling for her to even try decoding it. Please what? Please don't be angry? Please don't resign as Shino's consultant? Please don't be so dramatic? There were a million ways his words could be taken into and out of context.

The trip felt shorter than expected, and soon enough, she found herself standing in front of Shino's. Her heart was pounding, palms were sweating as she took a deep breath and sighed audibly. _Here we go._

The feeling was a mixture of embarrassment and pity. It was one thing to get her heartbroken, but to also break down in front of him in one night was just too much on her self-esteem. She felt a slight shiver as she entered Shino's, and her throat went dry when she opened her mouth to speak. "Hi, is...Chef Shinomiya here?" she asked one of the attendants.

"Hi there! Do you have an appointment?" the young brunette chirped.

"No, but can you tell him it's Chef Bella Yamamoto." she requested.

The attendant nodded. "Sure, have a seat first."

She didn't bother to. Her legs paced back and forth as she tried to control her breathing. _Why am I even nervous?_ She asked herself, realizing how ridiculous she was being. It wasn't like she was waiting for an important decision to be made. No, she had already made that herself. It was merely just an act of handing over a piece of paper.

'_Bella...please' _the words still echoed in her head. Maybe it's not knowing what he meant by that is what stirred up her anxiety. Please don't go? Please talk to me? Please -

"Bella,"

The way he breathed out her name gave her the chills. She turned around and saw him looking at her with a perplexed look on his face. She simply nodded her head and handed over a white envelope. "I just wanted to give you this…" she started, but Shinomiya wouldn't move. "It's my resignation."

His jaw visibility tightened. "Let's talk in my office."

A minute later, she found herself in a familiar place. Like entering Shino's for the first time, it was a little bit nostalgic to enter his office as well. The bookshelves which she personally arranged in alphabetical order for him were still in place. The mahogany table where they both used to work, adjacent to each other during the long nights brainstorming on Shino's New York. She then noticed a blue calculator on top of it, the very same one she used back then. When she walked closer, she recognized it as her own, seeing the same sticker marks she left on it.

"Have a seat." he invited.

"No, I don't think we need to take long." she politely declined, handing over the envelope once more.

Shinomiya eyed her carefully just before taking it. He read the contents and diverted his attention to her once more. "Effective today?" he clarified.

She nodded in reply.

Frankly, he didn't know what to say. He slowly folded back the piece of paper. No matter what he did, or how much he tried to force himself to think...he couldn't. Though his head might be clouded, his emotions were at an all time high. This piece of paper brought him back to that time, six months ago when he woke up with only a note on her pillow.

Bella sighed, growing weary of waiting for him. "I don't really think I need your approval anyway. We haven't signed any contracts. I'll just turn over everything via email." she explained, straightening herself up as a gesture to move along. She forced a smile and tilted her chin up. "I just think...this is for the best."

The blood came rushing back to Shinomiya's head the second he heard those words. His heartbeat quickened and he swallowed hard. He clenched his fists, controlling the desperation that was building up inside of him.

"I'll see you in Tuscany." she said and walked to the door.

He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. All those sleepless nights of blaming himself for not doing enough, or being helpless as to not being able to stop her came back. In his raw period of pain, he often thought what he would have done to stop her from leaving if he could. In that moment, heart and logic seemed to coincide as he reached forward and grabbed her wrist.

She gasped, feeling the strength of his vice like hold. She turned to face him, eyes wide and eyebrows knit together in confusion.

His eyes fixated on the ground still attempting to find words to speak. Shinomiya swallowed hard and moved his thumb ever so slightly against her skin. This simple means of contact reminded him that she was still here and that he had a choice.

"I...need to go." her words weighed heavy on him as she tried to pull away.

He looked up and pulled her back. "Bella," he uttered, the sound of his voice sounding like a plea. His eyes bore into hers, searching for the signs he knew so well. "...please."

The words had been echoing in her head all day. Still, as she looked back at him, she couldn't figure it out. Please what?

"Don't...misunderstand me." he cautiously spoke, meeting her gaze.

Her eyes crinkled in confusion. "...what?"

"There was no way I could have asked you to move in with me,"

Her expression immediately changed. The disappointment was evident as her cheeks slightly puffed and her neck craned back in disbelief. Before Bella could even say anything in retortment, he took a step forward as an attempt to seal the gap between them. The distance was far more than being inches apart. It was the entire six months, in betweens of their previous relationship, all the words left unsaid and the feelings they continued to hide.

"You were at the height of your career when you first brought up the idea of moving to Paris with me," he said, eyes still focused on hers.

Bella, on the other hand, was confused by his reasoning.

"I couldn't bring myself to say yes...even though I knew it would make things easier for us. No matter how much I wanted to be with you every single day, and lie next to you every night...the second I say yes, I knew you would drop everything and focus only on Shino's...on just me."

Her lips tightened. "And is that such a bad thing?"

Shinomiya crossed his arms over his chest. Eyes locked on hers, he said, "You weren't meant to be limited to just sweet talking investors for me all our lives, Bella."

There was a rush of heat on her cheeks. She found herself tongue tied at his admission. But despite the touching words that he said about her, Bella argued, "But that's what I wanted, and everytime, you would shoot me down saying that you and I weren't seeing eye to eye at th-"

"You and I weren't seeing eye to eye, alright. Because you don't know what it was like for me to look at you!" his voice rose.

From being calm and seemingly desperate, he grew frustrated. Shinomiya had gotten better at handling his emotions overtime. From being silent and withdrawn, he learned to be more vulnerable with her. But upon their break-up, his bad habits slowly crept back on him, pulling him back into the time where he was allergic to feelings.

Seeing her there, right in front of him drew out an odd mix of his past and present tendencies. Bella sighed in defeat, and he recognized that just like in every fight they had in the past, it would mean that the conversation was over. True enough, she took a step back and turned her heels, walking away.

He felt like he was about to choke. Swiftly, he pushed the door back just as she cracked it open. "I'm not mad at you," he said. His breath was hot against the nape of her neck. "But you have to understand...it wasn't easy to see you like that."

Bella kept her head down as she turned away from him. Her nails dug into her palm as he swallowed hard and tried to keep herself from tearing up out of frustration.

_Still as stubborn as could be,_ he thought. He inched closer and the room was silent for a while. All Bella could hear was the beating of her own heart, syncing into the rapid beating of Shinomiya's against her back. She breathed in and opened her mouth to speak, but was caught off guard once he started talking.

"The way you talked to me about the business behind the culinary world...your learnings and achievements. The fire in your eyes whenever you launched a new pop-up shop or flagship store was the same kind of drive I had when I first opened Shino's Paris. It was the first time I had something of my own, something I was proud of, something that made me feel like I was breaking the mold," he explained as his voice had gradually calmed down. "How could I have just let you give that all up?"

Bella could feel her chest tighten. Her eyes became moist, and her lips quivered. "So, what, did you imagine us being separated all the time? Me in Italy and you in Paris forever?"

"Well, clearly, you didn't trust me enough." he clicked his tongue.

The abrupt change in the tone of his voice offended her, and she grabbed the doorknob to turn and leave. But, with a force, Shinomiya slammed the door again. "Leaving just proves that you're the one who's unfair," he warned. "I want you to listen to everything I have to say and then by all means, you can leave."

She was miffed, but as much as she hated to admit it...he was being fair.

"You needed room to grow, and I wasn't going to stop you. I figured that once you were ready to make the move, it was because you were ready and not because you were pressured and frustrated about fighting and being far apart."

The air had gone thick, and Bella could feel herself weaken. "Let me go, Kojiro…" she said in a plea.

He grabbed her shoulders and spun her around to face him. "You're right. It was difficult with you, but you can't say that I was being unfair because you were always part of the plan. "

Shinomiya searched for that look that he knew so well. The way her eyes softened whenever she looked at him. The way her lips purse whenever he leaned in close to her. The way her head slightly tilted to the side as she listened to him intently.

"...you were in every single thing I had done and planned for." he confessed.

But...there was nothing.

He couldn't believe it. After all that drama from last night and after his confession, how could Bella look so aloof? Was it too much for him to expect some sort of emotional reaction? Shinomiya fought the urge to shake her as he stared at her hazel eyes that seemed to have gone distant.

Bella placed a hand over his arm and brushed him off. "I'll give Sylvette a call about the resignation." she said coolly and slowly pushed herself away from him.

Too baffled to move, Shinomiya watched her walk away once again.

As he stood alone in his office, he wondered if he had said the right things. Was it enough to make her understand how he feels about her? Could he potentially lose her again after all that? And if he were to lose her again...should it bother him that much?

The questions flooded his head, but Shinomiya knew he would get nowhere just by keeping it all in. He fished his phone from his pocket and reluctantly dialed a number, "Hi, Sylvette? Can you meet me for dinner? It's important…"


	9. Full Disclosure

A/N: Hello! I've been so happy the past few days because I see new readers in this fic. Thank you for reading, following, and even making this your favorite. Shoutout to the last two reviewers of the previous chapter, KirikaAndo and Rina Phantomhive. To everyone else too who reviewed too from Chapter 1. It warms my heart to know that you guys love this fic as much as I love writing it. Without further ado, here is chapter 8.

* * *

Chapter 8: Full Disclosure

It was 8 o'clock at night when Shinomiya Kojiro showed up at La Favori, a 3-star Michelin star restaurant in the Roppongi Hills. Though he didn't really care where he would meet Sylvette, she, on the other hand, insisted that they should check out a few competitors while they were at it.

He absentmindedly tapped his fingertips against the table. With one hand underneath his chin, he stared off at the distance, replaying bits and pieces of the last two years. Everything seemed like a movie trailer in his head. It was the kind of movie he hated, though, as he was never a fan of sagas.

Rewinding back to the very start of his relationship with Bella and how he met her that night on New Year's. Then came in the various scenes of teasing, testing, and finally, the time he confessed his feelings for her in Paris. He vividly remembered the time they traveled to Italy to meet her family. They hated him at first, until he floored them with his version of Ossobuco - a family favorite. It was instant approval from her parents, most especially her grandmother. Then, he remembered the times he would always think that something was wrong just because she would randomly tell him, "I love you", out of nowhere!

"_Kojiro," she would say quietly, pursing her lips and her eyes softening. _

_His brows would furrow in return. "What?" _

_She smiles, "I love you." _

"_...what did you do?" he doubts. _

"_Cazzo!" she curses, lightly punching his arm. "Nothing! I just wanted to say I love you! Geez!" _

It took him a while to get used to it. It took him an even longer time to respond the same way. But she didn't care. Bella continued to tell him every day. Every morning, every time they would eat silently, every night before going to bed. Sometimes even mumble it in her sleep. It slowly became something he looked forward to hearing all the time.

Despite the fights, she would still say it...even through a whisper. But as they argued more frequently, he would hear it less too. He attempted to try it out for himself, initiating it first. But whenever she replied, her voice lacked passion and excitement. Her eyes grew distant overtime. Her voice became cold. It pissed him off that he started yelling at her out of frustration. She, not knowing what to do, did the same thing to him.

Then came the eventual breakup. He felt his chest tighten whenever he remembered waking up that day and seeing her gone. As he did everything to try and get her back, it crushed him when he realized that she didn't reciprocate.

Constantly, he questioned himself. Did he fail to make her feel loved? Was he too selfish? Did he not try hard enough? Was it wrong for him to want her to succeed? Perhaps he should have just listened to her requests of moving in with him. The first time he did something so selfless backfired on him, and he became cynical of the idea of rooting for anyone's happiness.

"Kojiro? _Mon cherié_…" Sylvette called as she reached and tapped him on the shoulder.

Instantly, he snapped out of his trance. "Oh, did you just get here?" he replied, standing up and kissing her cheek.

She chuckled. "Well, yes, you seem to be in deep thought…" she pointed out as she was assisted to her seat by a server. "A bottle of your finest Pinot Grigio." she requested and the waiter was off. "Everything alright?" she added, eyes focusing on him.

"Yes," he answered, setting aside the menu. "Thanks for meeting me."

She smiled, reaching for his hand across the table. "Business meetings are fun, but I was more thrilled when I got your call."

Kojiro squeezed her hand, but as he looked into Sylvette's eyes, all he could see was the misty eyes of Bella from earlier that day. "Are you sick of Japan yet?"

She pouted and thought, "Hm, maybe of Tokyo...but you know," she trailed off, eyes wandering to the ceiling. "We can always go to Kyushu."

He knew exactly what that meant. Many times, Sylvette would casually slide it in the conversation. Every time she did, Shinomiya would just brush it off. It's not like he didn't think she was good enough to meet his mom. It's not like they were moving too fast since they already moved in together and traveled together in just a month into their relationship. Time was irrelevant for them. But the thought of her traveling to his hometown didn't seem so easy to take in.

"A bottle of Pinot Grigio?" the waiter came in. Perfect timing.

Dinner wasn't so pleasant since the food was like a three out of five. But the wine was exquisite. It made up for the lack of wow factor of the dishes. Sylvette told him about the highlights of her day, the business ventures she's looking into and some of the worst people she's met so far.

Sylvette's eyes glistened as she talked about business. She absolutely loved getting fired up by talks of negotiation and expansion. She was elegant and refined, but whenever it was just the two of them, she would be high-spirited and animated like a schoolgirl. The fire within her was warm, familiar...

Shinomiya shifted in his seat. Uncomfortable, he took a hearty sip of wine. The thought never dawned on him until today. He watched her intently as his heartbeat quickened. But as he fully realized why he was with Sylvette in the first place, he couldn't stop seeing Bella in her.

He never gave much thought about it. The many times that he blamed himself for losing Bella, he concluded that it must have been because he was overthinking her move to Paris. If he had just said yes in the first place, perhaps he would still have her. Overtime, he convinced himself that he would never be the same again.

Then he met Sylvette. It was on a summer night in Paris. The two of them were introduced by an acquaintance at a social gathering. She was bold and charming. A night of overflowing drinks and witty banter led from one thing to another and they woke up in the same bed the next day.

The way she teased him, pouted at his indifference, and cleverly retorted to his cold remarks was all too familiar. Her presence became routinely as they became more and more involved with each other in business. He took her as his produce supplier, but their meetings would extend into the after hours. The boundaries of her place between his office and his apartment were becoming more thin.

Shortly after, Shinomiya made a bold leap.

"_Why don't you just move in with me?" the words escaped his lips faster than he could mull over it. _

"_..to Paris?" she gasped. _

"_Why not?" _

She was surprised, to say the least. No man had ever been so bold as to ask her to move in with them in just a few weeks of knowing each other. Once more, with her family background and lifestyle, no man felt like they could measure up to her. But here was Kojiro, a straightforward man who didn't think anything of it. It intrigued her, and perhaps she thought he was exactly what she needed to liberate herself from that high pedestal she had been placed in all her life.

Sylvette moved into his one-bedroom apartment. Being born in extravagant estates, it was a thrill to live in such a quaint space. He taught her independence in the littlest things - from brewing her own coffee to doing a load of laundry. She never knew that there was life beyond Bordeaux, where just a simple mention of her family name would have given her any favor she ever wanted. Sure, she had the same impact in Paris. However, she found a different kind of peace with doing mundane activities with Shinomiya.

But still...she often wished that he would just open up a little bit more.

"Kojiro?" she called, leaning forward and waving her hand in front of his face.

"Mn?" he looked at her. "Sorry, you were saying?"

Sylvette sighed, smiled weakly and leaned back on her seat. "Nothing, _mon cherié_. You must've had a long day…" she shook her head.

No matter how many times she tried to deny it, Sylvette knew that he never loved her the same way she loved him. She knew that he would never notice the little things about her. Shinomiya might have been adamant to having her move in, but he would never feel the same comfort she felt about sleeping next to him. He would never be so in love as to want her to come to his hometown, or even show her off to his friends. But somehow, she held on to hope that one day he will.

He sighed. "I think so."

"Well, what happened?"

"What do you mean?"

She raised a brow at him and picked up her glass of wine. "You're the one who invited me to dinner," she raised the glass. "What's on your mind?"

"Right," he breathed out. He played with the stem of his wine glass as he thought. "I've decided to make a stop in Paris before flying to Italy."

Sylvette took a sip. "Oh, alright. Should I already call my secretary to confirm our flight?" she answered, whipping her phone out.

"No…" he started, looking up to ruefully look at her. "I think it's best we take a separate flight."

Her eyebrows knit together as she mumbled, "Uhm...I don't understand…"

The more he looked at her, the more he felt that he couldn't lie to himself any longer. Sylvette was special...but she would never be Bella, not even close.

Shinomiya tried to change the way he used to be when he was with her. All the things he did wrong in his previous relationship, he did the complete opposite with Sylvette. He jumped into moving in without a second thought because he despised the way he was before. He gave Sylvette a lot of time and attention, but that was it. It was always empty. He didn't want Sylvette to meet his friends or family for fear of her presence replacing Bella.

Bella was right all along...he was unfair. Sylvette deserved to know the truth, and Bella didn't need to be put in another difficult spot. He protected himself behind his relationship, but lingered with the thought of being with her since the night they reunited. He refused to recognize his own feelings, but pushed Bella to reveal her own. She didn't deserve any of that, and so did Sylvette.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner…" he started, and noticed that Sylvette was holding her breath as he spoke. "I-I actually knew Chef Bella even before you introduced us to each other. She's...my ex."

Her eyes widened. "Oh,"

"She and I were together for two years and we broke up six months ago."

"...six months ago?" she repeated in disbelief.

He nodded. "You once asked me how I managed to put Shino's Paris on the map in the last few years...it was because of her. She put up the first blueprint for Shino's New York. She was the reason I first hesitated to fly to Tokyo with you."

"Kojiro…" she sighed. Sylvette felt like her heart would drop. She tried to convince herself that was the end of it. But with the way Shinomiya looked, she could tell that she had to brace herself.

"I...can't stop thinking about her."

Sylvette set the wine glass down. She took in a sharp breath, held back for a second as she felt her throat go dry. "For how long?"

"I don't think I ever stopped…"

She felt the tightening of her chest as she puffed out a short breath. Her shoulders visibly weakened and her brows furrowed, her face falling into a look of pain. She tried to make sense of everything. Somehow, she refused to believe that the doubt that haunted her for weeks was actually true. But her gut feeling was right after all. Kojiro had never loved her the way she loved him.

"Sylvette,"

"No, I don't want to hear it…" she said, looking away and placing her curled fingers to her lips, hiding the fact that she was trembling through it.

The time they were together wasn't long, but it doesn't mean that it didn't hurt just the same. The worst part was that there was always something inside her that made her doubt. But falling more in love with him everyday convinced her that it was just her anxiety over being in a relationship after being single for so long.

Then she came to realize what they had been going through for the past week. She turned to him, eyes darting in fury. "We were with her all week. How the hell could you have not told me?" she accused.

All the more that Shinomiya felt the weight of Bella's words. He truly was unfair. The guilt washed over him as he recognized Sylvette's look of frustration. She began to bite her fingernails as her eyes focused on him.

"I'm sorry."

"Why?" she demanded.

"What do you mean?"

Sylvette once again puffed out a frustrated sigh. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Embarrassed, Kojiro ran his fingers through his hair. "I...don't have an excuse. I guess I was trying to ignore it..."

"And now?" she demanded.

He paused. Although Sylvette can already see his answer, she leaned forward slightly as if to ask him to say it out loud for clarity's sake.

"I can't."

With trembling fingers, she took her wine glass and took a swig. "It all makes sense." she said, pursing her lips as she refocused on him. "It always felt like you would never welcome me completely...and now it makes sense, because there was no room for me to begin with."

"No," he countered. "Don't think that I just disregarded you."

"You didn't," she answered. Her eyes moistened and she didn't bother to fight it off this time. Tears fell on her cheeks as she finally accepted what she had been avoiding all this time. "It's just that there was always something holding you back. Now I know it's not something...but rather, someone."

There was a difference between caring versus genuinely adoring someone. While Sylvette brought Shinomiya to her home in Bordeaux, he never once mentioned the possibility of him doing the same with her. In Tokyo, she had dropped many hints of her meeting his friends, but he never obliged up until that night in Roppongi. She had shared her passions with him, but he never opened up about his own.

It sometimes became a concern. For a couple who was only a month in together, they would be over the moon, acting like crazy teenagers who were in love, regardless of age. They complimented each other in diplomatic ways. But perhaps that's all they would ever be. At times, she justified that there was a part of him that was still grounded on his culture. _He's probably traditional, _she told herself. But some things just didn't add up.

"I'm sorry," he repeated. "Sylvette, I can't -"

"No," she replied, putting her hand up once again. Even now, the look he gave her was only filled with regret. Sighing, she picked up her purse and pushed her seat back. "I'm moving out of the room and I'm flying to Paris tomorrow."

She stood up and wished that he would follow suit as well. But Shinomiya remained grounded, firm with his decision. "I'll have people pick up my things from your apartment. The papers from the company will be fixed as well."

Sylvette turned her heels and walked away. Still, she couldn't help it. There was still a part of her that hoped she was wrong. She stopped and looked back, but was crushed to see that he was still seated. This truly was the end.

They locked eyes one final time. Her heart ached to walk away from him. But despite that, it was clear that it was pointless to squeeze her way in with him.

"Goodbye, Kojiro." she said, and walked away completely.

* * *

Golden hour warmed up her skin as she stepped out of Villa La Fontane. Bella squinted her eyes and shaded herself from its harsh rays by placing a hand against her forehead. It was a few days later, and she had already settled in the wedding venue for the much awaited union of Ruth and Donato.

She spotted the white cars from a distance. Shortly after, they pulled up to the curb and she nearly squealed in excitement as Hinako jumped out and greeted her.

"Oh my god, this place!" the Kirinoya chef gasped, leaping to greet Bella into a hug.

Villa La Fontane was a classic Italian villa about 40-minutes from Florence. It was a hidden gem in the hills where Bella spent her childhood, because her uncle actually owned it. Just the cobblestone driveway and brick walls alone made the Totsuki chefs feel like they were in a totally different world. Accompanied by the lush trees surrounding the area and the vividness of the flowers and vines creeping all over the property, this place was romantic as hell. It was absolutely perfect for an intimate wedding.

"_Benvenuta_!" the Italian welcomed.

"Hinako, grab your shit because I'm not picking this up for you." Mizuhara chided as she stepped out of the vehicle.

Hinako obliged with a scowl as Sekimori now stepped out with luggage at hand. "How was your flight?" Bella greeted.

"Long," Sekimori replied with an awkward smile. "I don't think I've ever flown that long."

"Let me help you with your bags." she offered.

They settled in their rooms and immediately jumped into a quick tour of the place. There were 14 guest rooms in the villa. The people staying in the villa were the bride and groom's party with the immediate relatives of the couple. Ruth and Donato had decided to have their pre-wedding parties in the same venue making it a total of a one week celebration.

They went down the halls, through the kitchen, entered the game room, indoor bar, veranda, the balcony then lastly, the garden where the wedding would be held.

"When did you get here?" Hinako asked.

"Only yesterday," Bella replied and pursed her lips in embarrassment. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to return your calls back in Tokyo."

Since that night in Ropponggi, Bella continued to evade the calls and messages from her friends. Her very last interaction was with Shinomiya that day she handed him her resignation letter. From then on, she would just send email blasts to the bridal and groom party on their assignments and itinerary - you know, just typical maid of honor duties.

Hinako crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. "I was pissed off, to be honest. But I found out you saw Shinomiya just before leaving."

"Uh," the Italian was tongue tied. But before she could even think about lying, she was already throwing her a knowing look. "...yes, I did see him."

"Shinomiya wouldn't tell me anything more than that. What did you guys talk about?"

Images of him cornering her against the door flashbacked in her mind. His words, "_You were in every single thing I had done and planned for."_ echoed like a never-ending tune. Bella shook her head. "Just that I was resigning as Shino's New York's advisor."

"Where is Ruth and Donato, anyway?" Mizuhara, walking back from the grass area with Sekimori asked.

"Donato's in the other villa introducing Ruth to his cousins."

"Oh, they should be back soon, then, right?" Sekimori assumed.

Bella chuckled. "Not exactly. Chef Donato has a huge family...like mine. We're old school Italians. They'll be back by dinner, though. So we'll all meet up at the Great Hall for that."

Hinako's phone vibrated with a message notification. Her brows furrowed and she clenched her teeth for a second just before tucking in her phone to her pocket. "Hey, Bella, have you heard about Shinomiya and -"

"_Signora!_" one of the attendants suddenly called from a distance as he waved his arms.

"_Sì_?" she turned.

"Another guest arrived!"

"Hold that thought," she said to Hinako. Turning to Sekimori and Mizuhara, she shrugged her shoulders and smiled. "Sorry, I'm the official welcoming committee, by the way." she informed, stepping away. "I'll be back!"

The skirt of her white dress flowed side to side as she skipped her way to the entrance. With a swift tug, she let her hair loose from a ponytail and ran her fingers to fix it. Based on the itinerary, she was expecting Donato's parents to check-in by sunset. It had been quite some time since she had seen them, and was excited to find out if they even remembered her from their first meeting at the auberge three years ago.

With a deep breath she greeted. "Beneve-"

She stopped, almost tripping on her toes as she saw Shinomiya standing at the entrance. _Oh_. she thought, as he looked up from his phone and met her gaze.

The sight of him in his crisp white shirt and cream trousers knocked the wind right out of her.

"Benvenuto," she said almost in a whisper. Her arms tucked in from behind as her fingers fidgeted, hesitantly drawing closer to him. "They said you were arriving at night."

He sighed. "Yeah, well, flight got moved earlier than expected from Paris."

_Paris?_

"Right, of course, I forgot you and Sylvette had the same return flight from Tokyo." she said, trying hard to smile through it. Putting her hand up, she called for assistance to help him with his bags.

"Not exactly..." he awkwardly replied, grabbing his bags and passing it onto the attendant.

Bella was a little confused by his statement. But in her mind, she couldn't tell if it was right for her to even question or clarify what he meant. The events from the previous weeks in Tokyo just proved that they both couldn't be friends. So if not that, what were they now?

Still, she took it upon herself to label them as "coexisting" people. No pressure to be nice to each other, no expectations, no questions. They were just simply there. At least that's what they needed to be for the sake of a peaceful wedding.

"Shinomiya!" Sekimori called out, coming in with Hinako and Mizuhara from the halls.

But for some reason, the more he stepped closer, the more his words echoed in her head.

"_Don't misunderstand me." _

"_You were always part of the plan." _

"_In every single thing that I had done…"_

She felt her heart beat faster, wilder, until she felt unable to contain herself. "What do you mean?" the words slipped out.

He stopped beside her and pushed up his glasses. "We broke up."


	10. Family Matters

Chapter 9: Family Matters

'_Sorry we can't make it to dinner. Donato's cousins are quite pushy…' _

Bella sighed at the message. It was quite awkward for her to lead a group of people into a welcome dinner without the guests of honor. In the Great Dining Hall were both Donato and Ruth's family - both parents, their siblings, and a selection of cousins for the intimate gathering. It was a rowdy group of no more than thirty people, their friends included.

With a quick swig of liquor she grabbed a knife and tapped it into a wine glass. "Buona sera," she said, rising from her seat. "Unfortunately, the happy couple can't make it to dinner tonight."

A series of groans and whispers ensued in the entire room.

"They're held up with Donato's cousins at _Vernazza_. They would be joining us tomorrow for breakfast instead. So with that, let's all have a wonderful dinner!" she proclaimed, raising the glass of wine.

"_Saluti!" _

"_Cheers!" _

Glasses clinked and the night went on.

That wasn't too bad. Although, it was kind of bummer that since the happy couple couldn't be there, awkward small talk seemed to be the theme of the night. From gossips of whose cousin cheated on whose wife, politics, and even as mundane as the weather.

In the middle of these conversations, Elena, Donato's mother spoke, "So, Bella, will you be next?"

Donato's family still remembered her from the time they first met her. She was still back and forth between Italy and Tokyo at that time - young, foolish, and single.

An awkward pause, and she chuckled, "Oh, Auntie, please, not over dinner! Save it for the Aperitif." she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.

Elena chuckled back. "Oh, darling, sounds good to me!"

Her friends, though, seemed to take the joke seriously as Hinako nearly choked on her beef and Mizuhara sputtered the wine from her lips. She didn't bother to look at Shinomiya at dinner. Desperately, she was trying to push back her desire to know what happened to him and Sylvette.

She toyed with the pieces of lamb on her plate and wondered how she felt about the situation. There was curiosity for sure, but other than that, she couldn't deny to overthink. If Shinomiya truly was single now...did that mean that they could get back together? More importantly, did she _want_ them to get back together?

Dinner ended and everyone retreated to their room with the promise of an eventful week. The gang was practically exhausted from their 18-hour flight from Tokyo, so each said their goodnights.

But Bella couldn't sleep. All night long, Shinomiya's words echoed in her head. They broke up. Shinomiya and Sylvette broke up. _When? _She felt a little too presumptuous at the thought that she caused their break-up. There was also a wave of guilt that overtook her that night.

She tossed and turned, occasionally rising up and falling back down the bed. "I want to ask him," she told herself and drew the covers back. "No, I can't. It's weird." pulling the covers back in. _But I want to know. _

Twenty times, that's how much she went back and forth with her inner monologue. When she started getting a headache, that's when she made up her mind and grabbed her phone. She aggressively typed, '_Are you awake?'_ and pressed send. A move she instantly regretted, once she thought of glancing at the clock and saw that it was almost 1 o'clock in the morning.

She fell back and covered her face with the duvet.

Her phone started ringing.

Immediately, she sat up. Her heartbeat quickened, but then it quickly calmed down as she saw Ruth's name flash on screen.

'_Pronto?'_

'Bella? I need help…' her best friend's voice was distressed.

Turns out, the couple stayed longer than they intended to because Donato's cousins had played a little drinking game with him. Bella wondered why in the world her former boss would even want to challenge his cousins. He was embarrassingly lightweight. But soon as Ruth groaned and she heard Donato slur argumentatively to his cousins, she knew that it was part of her duty to get up and help.

She couldn't do it alone, though.

It was then that she noticed Shinomiya had replied to her message in the middle of her call with Ruth.

'_I'm awake.'_

* * *

Her heart pounded wilder as his footsteps echoed in the hallway. "Did you wait long?" he asked, drawing closer.

She shook her head and gave a small smile. "No, thanks for coming with me."

"It's nothing."

They headed to the garage and hopped on her uncle's Fiat. Bella drove as Kojirou rode shotgun. Half the drive was in complete silence, until she started to feel awkward and decided to turn on the radio. An old school Italian song played and it was enough to fill in the void.

It was quite nice. Oddly enough, it was probably the closest they've been after a week of drama. There was an unexplainable intimacy about driving together - an intimacy that none of them seemed to mind.

But still, she couldn't take it off her mind. "Shinomiya,"

"Mm?"

She bit her bottom lip and hesitated. With everything that's happened, what could go wrong? Eyes glued on the road, she exhaled softly and asked, "Is it true?"

She felt his eyes burn on her skin. "What do you mean?"

"What you said to me earlier…" she trailed off, now feeling the awkward build up.

"About Sylvette?" he answered, turning to the window. "Yes."

They reached a fork on the road, and Bella swerved a little too aggressively to the left. "Sorry!" she yelped right after as Shinomiya slid on his seat.

He sat up. "Geez, are you crazy?!"

"Sorry!"

Another silence ensued. She somehow felt a little bit on edge as he answered the questions that had been eating up her headspace all day. As she tried to refocus, Shinomiya cleared his throat. "Do you want me to drive?"

"No, I'm fine. We're almost there." she was smiling, but her voice remained a little bit on edge.

A minute went by, and Shinomiya decided to probe. "Why do you ask?"

Her jaw froze for a second, disabling her to speak. She hummed a little in thought, trying to stop her lips from quivering. "I guess...I was curious…"

Shinomiya paused, focusing his gaze on hers. "How do you feel about it?"

"What do you mean?" she gave him a quick glance. "Of course, I'm concerned. Whatever happened...I still have and always will have the highest respect for you. I just...don't want to be the reason for impeding your happiness now."

"We're almost there…" she added, slowing down.

"Bella,"

"Yeah?"

She pulled up to the driveway and cranked up the handbrake. "What is it?" she asked again, shutting off the motor. Her eyes slowly looked up at him expectantly.

His gaze was full of intent. Perhaps, this time he could do it right. Maybe, just maybe, this time there would be no more games between them. "I want you...that's why Sylvette and I broke up."

* * *

Author's note: Shortest chapter I've written so far. I am so sorry for the super late update! Things have been crazy at work. I'd like to thank my lovely readers and reviewers from the last chapter, KiriKaAndo and Missfliss. Though the update took a while, I really plan to finish this story. The end isn't too far off, actually, since the wedding will happen soon. :) Ciao, amici!


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